Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to support Frederick H. Varley's self-portraits with his autobiographical writings thereby creating a dialogue which closely reflects his feelings and intentions at the time he painted these portraits. In Chapter I, Varley's Self-Portrait (1919) and Self-Portrait, Days of 1943 (1945) will be discussed within the context of his experience as a war artist in the First World War and his pre-occupation with the Second World War. In Chapter II, I will address the spiritual in Varley's art and specifically how the influence of Albrecht Durer contributed to its expression in his self-representation of Liberation (1936/1937). In Chapter III, Varley's attachment to nature and the landscape of Lynn Valley, British Columbia will be the focus of my discussion of Mirror of Thought (1943). The criteria developed by Philippe Lejeune for his autobiographical pact, Richard Brilliant's study on portraiture, and Ernst Van Alphen's examination of portraiture within new conceptions of subjectivity will be important sources in this effort.