Frederick Sproston Challener RCA, OSA, CSPWC (1869 - 1959)

A prominent Canadian muralist, painter, educator, draftsman, illustrator and art historian, Frederick Sproston Challener was born in Whetstone, England and died in Toronto, Ontario, where he had lived since childhood. Challener was the youngest person elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. His life and work are discussed in numerous Canadian art history books, and examples of his paintings and drawings are in the collections of several Canadian museums including the National Gallery of Canada. (1)(2)(3)(4)

His mediums included fresco*, oil paint, watercolor, pastel, graphite, charcoal, ink, chalk and mixed mediums. His subjects included portraits, landscapes, nudes, figures, still life, interiors, allegory*, genre*, Indians, historic events and war. His styles included Art Nouveau*, Impressionism*, Neo-Classicism*, Plein Air*, Realism*, and Rococo*. The AskART images are excellent illustrations of his work. (5)

His formal art education consists of studies at Central Ontario School of Art*, Toronto (1883 - 1884); the Toronto Art Students' League* (1885 - 1889); and private studies (1889 - 1894) under George A. Reid (see AskART). Challener taught at Central Technical School, Toronto (1921 - 1924) and at the Ontario College of Art* (1927 - 1952). Artist Herbert S. Palmer (see AskART) and art historian J. Russell Harper are among his former students.

Challener travelled in England, Italy, Egypt, Palestine and Syria (1898 - 1899) for education, and to Winnipeg, Manitoba (c.1906 - 1912) and Edmonton, Alberta (c.1914) to complete murals. (6)

He was a member of the Toronto Art Students' League (1886 - 1896), Ontario Society of Artists* (1890), Palette Club (c. 1902), Society of Mural Decorators (founder, 1894), Arts and Letters Club (founding member, 1908), Graphic Arts Club (c.1908), and the Canadian Society of Painters in Water colour* (charter member, 1926 - 1934). He was elected an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts* (ARCA) in 1891 and an Academician (RCA) in 1901.

He exhibited with the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts from 1891 to 1948, with the Art Association of Montreal (now Montreal Museum of Fine Arts) from 1891 to 1927, with the Toronto Industrial Exhibition [in 1912 renamed the Canadian National Exhibition] from 1901 to 1904, with the Ontario Society of Artists* from 1901 to 1936, and at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1927. His works were included in the "Pan American Exposition", Buffalo, New York (1901); the "Louisiana Purchase Exposition"*, St. Louis, Missouri (1904); and the "British Empire Exposition", Wembley, England (1924 and 1925). They were also included in exhibitions at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa in 1927 and 1935; and in "Works by Senior Painters in Canada", at the Art Gallery of Toronto in 1937. (7)

In 1914, The Arts Club of Montreal* had a solo exhibition of his work, and in 1973 the Winnipeg Art Gallery hosted an exhibition of the extant murals Challener completed for the Royal Alexandra Hotel, Winnipeg. There were originally eight murals, the survivors shown in the exhibition "Four Challener Murals" were titled The Buffalo Hunt, Upper Fort Garry, The Government of the Indian Tribes and Indian Camp. (8)

Currently (December 2013), Challener's work is featured in "Artists, Architects & Artisans: Canadian Art 1890 - 1918", showing at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa from November 8, 2013 to February 2, 2014.

Challener's works are in numerous private collections and in several public collections. According to the Canadian Heritage Information Network* and individual museum websites, his works are in the permanent collections of the Art Gallery of Hamilton (Ontario), Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (Halifax), Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto), Canadian War Museum (Ottawa), Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (Kitchener, Ontario), Mackenzie Art Gallery (Regina, Saskatchewan), Riverbrink Art Museum (Queenston, Ontario), Robert McLaughlin Gallery (Oshawa, Ontario), The Market Gallery (Toronto), University of Lethbridge Art Gallery (Lethbridge, Alberta), Winnipeg Art Gallery (Manitoba) and the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa).

The original locations for his most well known murals include the S.S. Toronto (c. 1899); King Edward Hotel, Toronto (1900); S.S. Montreal (c.1900); The Grand Opera House [now The Grand Theatre], London, Ontario (1901); Russell Theatre, Ottawa (c.1901); S.S. Kingston (c.1901); Royal Alexandra Hotel, Winnipeg (c. 1906 - 1912); Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto (1907); MacDonald Hotel, Edmonton (1914); R.S. McLaughlin residence, Oshawa (1924); Loblaws offices, Toronto (1928); and Manoir Richelieu Hotel, Malbaie, Quebec (1928). (9)(10)

Among his awards are a Bronze Medal at the "Pan American Exhibition", Buffalo (1901) and a Silver medal at the "Louisiana Purchase Exposition"*, St. Louis (1904). His honors include election as a council member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts* and appointment as jury member to select the Canadian art for the 1924 and 1925 British Empire Expositions.


Footnotes:
(1) Please note: Some sources say Challener came to Canada in 1870, some say 1883. The National Gallery of Canada: Catalogue of Paintings and Sculpture, Volume III (see AskART books) explains both dates, it says, he "Came to Canada with his parents in 1870; returned to London [England] in 1876 and came again to Toronto in 1883."

(2) Please note: Most of our sources only record Toronto as Challener's residence in Canada; however, Art Gallery of Ontario - The Canadian Collection (see AskART book references) notes that Challener lived in Conestoga, Ontario, a community about 50 miles north of Toronto city center, from 1907 to 1917.

(3) Challener illustrated the book Sons of Canada: Short Studies of Characteristic Canadians (1916), by Augustus Bridle (see AskART book references).

(4) While a teacher at the Ontario College of Art, his work as an art historian involved assembling biographical notes on 113 Canadian artists born between 1803 and 1915 and on five arts organizations: the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour*, Ontario Society of Artists*, Royal Canadian Academy of Arts*, Toronto Art Students' League, and Canadian Society of Graphic Art*. These notes are a part of the Frederick S. Challener collection held by the E. P. Taylor Research Library and Archives, Art Gallery of Ontario. Source: E. P. Taylor Research Library and Archives.

(5) Regarding his war art: The permanent collection of the Canadian War Museum contains two paintings by Challener: an 8" X 11" watercolor and a 94" X 288" oil. They are both titled Canada's Grand Armada, 1914. Additional information attached to the oil painting description reads: "Painted by Frederick Challener in 1919. In 1918, the Canadian War Memorials Fund commissioned Frederick Challener to paint the first contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force sailing from Gaspé Basin, Quebec to Britain in 1914. From 3 to 15 October, over 32,000 troops sailed in 30 passenger liners. This made the first contingent the single largest military group ever to sail from Canada at the time." Source: Canadian War Museum.

(6) There is a disagreement between sources for the dates of Challener's time in Winnipeg: A Dictionary of Canadian Artists A to F (see AskART book references) says "1909-12" and A National Soul: Canadian Mural Painting, 1860s - 1930s (see AskART book references) says "Sometime between 1906 and 1910...."

(7) Please note: Challener's works may have been included in more Canadian National Exhibitions and in more exhibitions at the National Gallery of Canada. The exhibition dates listed for those two institutions were taken from the provenance of Challener works in museums.

(8) The mural Upper Fort Garry is illustrated in color on the cover of the book A Thousand Miles of Prairie: The Manitoba Historical Society and the History of Western Canada (2002), edited by Jim Blanchard; University of Manitoba Press, Winnipeg.

(9) The Grand Opera House [now The Grand Theatre] London, Ontario proscenium arch mural painted by Challener is still in place and in excellent condition; an image of it is easy to find online: it is featured on several pages of The Grand Theatre website as well as on numerous London, Ontario tourism websites (search by images - The Grand Theatre, London, Ontario).

(10) Some sources indicate Challener did the mural The Triumph of the Drama for the Russell Theatre (Ottawa), which opened in 1897 and was destroyed in a fire in 1901. According to the National Gallery of Canada, he did not do The Triumph of the Drama for the 1897 theatre, but for its reconstruction in 1901. The maquette* for the The Triumph of the Drama is currently on exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada (the NGC collection also contains the actual mural which survived a second fire in 1928). The pastel maquette* can be viewed on the NGC website preview page for the exhibition "Artists, Architects & Artisans: Canadian Art 1890 - 1918" under Places of Travel and Entertainment at http://www.gallery.ca/aaa/en/index.htm. Source: Charlie Hill, Curator of Canadian Art, National Gallery of Canada (by email).


Sources:
Artists, Architects & Artisans: Canadian Art 1890 - 1918 (2013), by Charles Hill, Andrea Kunard, Laurier Lacroix, et al (see AskART book references)

Rails Across the Prairies: The Railway Heritage of Canada's Prairie Provinces (2012), by Ron Brown and Matt Baker (see AskART book references)

The Practice of Her Profession: Florence Carlyle, Canadian Painter in the Age of Impressionism (2009), by Susan Butlin (see AskART book references)

F.H. Varley: Portraits into the Light (2007), by Katerina Atanassova (see AskART book references)

A National Soul: Canadian Mural Painting, 1860s - 1930s (2002), by Marylin Jean McKay (see AskART book references)

Let's Go to the Grand!: 100 Years of Entertainment at London's Grand Theatre (2001), by Sheila M. F. Johnston (see AskART book references)

The Collector's Dictionary of Canadian Artists at Auction (2001), by Anthony R. Westbridge and Diana L. Bodnar (see AskART book references)

A to Z of Canadian Art: artists & art terms (1997), by Blake McKendry (see AskART book references)

Home Truths: A Celebration of Family Life by Canada's Best-Loved Painters (1997), by Joan Murray (see AskART book references)

A Dictionary of Canadian Artists A to F 5th edition (1997), by Colin S. MacDonald (see AskART book references)

Visions of Light and Air: Canadian Impressionism, 1885 - 1920 (1995), by Carol Lowrey (see AskART book references)

The Group of Seven: Art for a Nation (1995), by Charles C. Hill (see AskART book references)

"Art and Architecture in Canada" (1991), by Loren R. Lerner and Mary F. Williamson (see AskART book references)

Passionate Spirits: A History of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, 1880 - 1980 (1980), by Rebecca Sisler (see AskART book references)

The Macmillan Dictionary of Canadian Biography (1978), edited by W. A. McKay (see AskART book references)

Painting in Canada: a history (1977), by J. Russell Harper (see AskART book references)

The Nude in Canadian Painting (1972), by Jerrold Morris (see AskART book references)

Art Gallery of Ontario - The Canadian Collection (1970), by Helen Pepall Bradfield (see AskART book references)

Canadian Art - Its Origin and Development (1943) (paperback 1967), by William Colgate (see AskART book references)

The National Gallery of Canada: Catalogue of Paintings and Sculpture, Volume III (1960), by R.H. Hubbard (see AskART book references)

The National Gallery of Canada Catalogue (1931), by National Gallery of Canada (see AskART book references)

The Fine Arts in Canada (1925), by Newton MacTavish (see AskART book references)

Canadian Section of Fine Arts: British Empire Exposition, London, 1925 (1925), by National Gallery of Canada (see AskART book references)

Canadian Section of Fine Arts: British Empire Exposition, London, 1924 (1924), by National Gallery of Canada (see AskART book references)

Canadian Men and Women of the Time: A Handbook of Canadian Biography of Living Characters (1912), edited by Henry James Morgan (see AskART book references)

Canadian Heritage Information Network*

National Gallery of Canada

Art Gallery of Ontario

E. P. Taylor Research Library and Archives

Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art*

The Grand Theatre, London, Ontario

* For more in-depth information about these terms and others, see AskART.com. Glossary http://www.askart.com/AskART/lists/Art_Definition.aspx.

Written and contributed to askART by M.D. Silverbrooke.