Artwork:
Emily Sartain. Christmas Red, Anemone Flower, Chrysanthemum. Gouache and watercolour on board. 1930.
This refined watercolour by Emily Sartain showcases her exceptional skill as a botanical artist, depicting a vibrant cluster of chrysanthemum blooms with remarkable precision and elegance. The richly coloured red-orange flowers, accented by luminous golden centres, are arranged in a balanced yet natural composition that conveys both vitality and grace. Cool blue-grey foliage provides a subtle contrast to the warm tones of the blossoms, while the plain background focuses attention on the plant’s intricate forms and textures.
Artist:
1903-1990 – Emily Sartain was a British-born Canadian artist celebrated for her highly detailed botanical paintings and flower portraits. Her work was admired for its accuracy and beauty, earning her the description “Audubon of the Flowers” from Canadian art critic Paul Duval in 1948. Throughout her career, she combined artistic excellence with a deep commitment to conservation, promoting the preservation of Canadian wildflowers and helping to expand support for the Thetis Park Nature Sanctuary.
Born in England in 1903, Sartain began painting at the age of six. After training in embroidery and needlework, she returned to art as a freelance painter following a period of illness. While working on botanical illustrations for the Royal Horticultural Society, she studied the works of artists such as Botticelli, Redouté, Albrecht Dürer, Audubon, and Parkinson through the Lindley Library.
Her breakthrough came in 1931, when Queen Mary purchased her painting at a Society of Women Artists exhibition in London, launching her professional career. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1932 and went on to receive numerous commissions from royalty, nobility, government bodies, and commercial organizations.
After visiting Canada in 1939, the outbreak of World War II prevented her return to England, and she later became a Canadian citizen. Between 1951 and 1955 she received ten prestigious awards from the Royal Horticultural Society, including Grenfell Gold, Silver, and Silver-Gilt Medals, and exhibited widely in Britain and Canada. Her exhibitions included a major solo presentation of 200 paintings of Canadian wildflowers at the Cooling Galleries in London, as well as showings at Canada House, British Columbia House, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and numerous other venues.
Sartain supported herself entirely through the sale of her art for six decades and remained active as an artist until the late 1970s. She lived in Victoria, BC, and died there in July 1990.
Deep Dive:
Globe & Mail Obituary on art critic Paul Duval.
Digital copy of Canadian Wild Flowers, Painted and Lithographed by Agnes Fitzgibbons with Botanical Descriptions by Catherine Parr Trail, printed and published, Montreal, 1868.
Foundation:
The Canadian Art Preservation Foundation posts short biographies and information on artists and artwork from its collection in a not-so-subtle attempt to capture your attention and interest in our mission, but we also just want to keep this artwork in view. We are excited about the art we collect and want to share it with you.
CAPF is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the artwork of Canada’s superstar artists for future generations to examine, study and exhibit – the ones you know and the ones you might not know so well. We accept artwork, journals, notes, letters, exhibition catalogues and anything else that might comprise a visual and/or intellectual “portrait” (ahem, please pardon the pun) of a particular artist.
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