Documentary backdrop image for Varley (2014)

201416 minPG-13doc-short

Varley

201416 minPG-13doc-short

Frederick Varley, a prominent Canadian painter and member of the Group of Seven, returns to his Toronto studio to create a new painting after a sketching trip.

Genres

Channel: NFB

Varley

2014• 16 minPG-13

Synopsis

Frederick Varley, a prominent Canadian painter and member of the Group of Seven, returns to his Toronto studio to create a new painting after a sketching trip.

Synopsis

Meet Frederick Varley, Canadian painter and member of the Group of Seven. In this film, Varley returns to his studio in Toronto after a sketching trip. The camera moves about the studio selecting examples of his canvases and watches him as he begins a new painting.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

By Woman's Hand (1994)

By Woman's Hand

1994•59m•★8.0TMDB

A group of young women artists in Montreal formed the Beaver Hall Hill Group in 1920, creating a supportive community that lasted over 30 years.

By Woman's Hand

Waterwalker (2016)

Waterwalker

2016•1h27m•★8.3TMDB

Bill Mason paddles through the largest and most spectacular lake in the world, sharing his love for nature and canoeing in Ontario's waterways.

Portrait of the Artist (2023)

Portrait of the Artist

Three artists-Erhabor Amokpae from Lagos, Cid de Sosa Pinto from São Paulo, and Gord Smith from Montréal-share insights into their creative processes and personal reflections.

Portrait of the Artist

Notman's World (2025)

Notman's World

William Notman, a pioneering Canadian photographer in the late 1850s, transformed portraiture into a historical documentation art form in Montreal.

Cowboy and Indian (2021)

Cowboy and Indian

Fifteen years of friendship between artists Robert Markle and Gordon Rayner shape their lives and work in Toronto's jazz scene.

Cowboy and Indian

Blackwood (2018)

Blackwood

Newfoundland-born artist David Blackwood is examined for his significant contributions to contemporary etching in Canada.

I Don't Have to Work that Big (2010)

I Don't Have to Work that Big

Joe Fafard estimates he has made between 300 and 400 small clay cows, reflecting his deep connection to rural life in Saskatchewan.

I Don't Have to Work that Big

Glenn Gould - Off the Record (2014)

Glenn Gould - Off the Record

In a lakeside cottage in Canada, concert pianist Glenn Gould engages in conversation about composition with fellow musician Franz Kraemer while enjoying nature.

Glenn Gould - Off the Record

Open Sky, Portrait of a Pavilion in Venice (2020)

Open Sky, Portrait of a Pavilion in Venice

Since 1958, the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Biennale has showcased contemporary Canadian artists, featuring its architectural history and recent restoration by the National Gallery of Canada.

Open Sky, Portrait of a Pavilion in Venice

We Are All Artists (2013)

We Are All Artists

Art and functional design are explored through natural scenes, historical works, and modern innovations in a silent film from the Harmon Foundation.

We Are All Artists

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime (2023)

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime

Rembrandt's artworks, created throughout his adult life, have been dispersed worldwide, each with its own unique history and significance.

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime

Angkor Wat Night Festival: Full Apsara performance of the Royal Ballet (2023)

Angkor Wat Night Festival: Full Apsara performance of the Royal Ballet

The Royal Ballet's history begins in Angkor with the Apsara dancers and King Khumba's love story.

Angkor Wat Night Festival: Full Apsara performance of the Royal Ballet

Explore Varley

Where else to watch

Open Sky, Portrait of a Pavilion in Venice (2020)

Open Sky, Portrait of a Pavilion in Venice

Since 1958, the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Biennale has showcased contemporary Canadian artists, featuring its architectural history and recent restoration by the National Gallery of Canada.

Open Sky, Portrait of a Pavilion in Venice

No digital watch option in your country

The Life and Work of Georges Seurat (1988)

The Life and Work of Georges Seurat

1988•1h11m•★9.0TMDB

Georges Seurat developed pointillism, a technique using individual color dots that blend into whole surfaces in the viewer's eye, before dying at age 31.

The Life and Work of Georges Seurat

A Painter Who Farms (2018)

A Painter Who Farms

2018•50m•★7.0TMDB

Twelve generations of farming shape Allen Whiting's life and art on Martha's Vineyard, where he paints the island's landscapes.

A Painter Who Farms

Ana Mendieta: Fuego de Tierra (1987)

Ana Mendieta: Fuego de Tierra

1987•52m•★10.0TMDB

Ana Mendieta, a Cuban-born American artist, is explored through her performances, earthworks, and feminist political consciousness in this documentary directed by Nereyda Garcia-Ferraz.

Ana Mendieta: Fuego de Tierra

Apollo: The Forgotten Films (2019)

Apollo: The Forgotten Films

2019•1h23m•★7.3TMDB

More than 80 minutes of recently uncovered footage reveals new insights into NASA's Apollo missions and the first moon landing.

Apollo: The Forgotten Films

Browse more like this

Portrait of the Artist (2023)

Portrait of the Artist

Three artists-Erhabor Amokpae from Lagos, Cid de Sosa Pinto from São Paulo, and Gord Smith from Montréal-share insights into their creative processes and personal reflections.

Portrait of the Artist

No digital watch option in your country

Notman's World (2025)

Notman's World

William Notman, a pioneering Canadian photographer in the late 1850s, transformed portraiture into a historical documentation art form in Montreal.

No digital watch option in your country

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime (2023)

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime

Rembrandt's artworks, created throughout his adult life, have been dispersed worldwide, each with its own unique history and significance.

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime

No digital watch option in your country

Remedios Varo: Mystery and Revelation (2013)

Remedios Varo: Mystery and Revelation

2013•1h7m•★9.0TMDB

Remedios Varo, a key figure in the Mexican surrealist movement, is explored through her art, relationship with poet Benjamin Péret, and lasting legacy.

Remedios Varo: Mystery and Revelation

Alex Colville: The Splendour of Order (1984)

Alex Colville: The Splendour of Order

1984•58m•★8.0TMDB

Alex Colville, a Canadian painter, reflects on his life, artistic influences from World War II, and his beliefs about order and goodness in this 1984 documentary.

Alex Colville: The Splendour of Order

Souvenir of Canada (2005)

Souvenir of Canada

2005•1h10m•★7.2TMDB

Douglas Coupland explores Canadian identity through personal anecdotes and cultural commentary, analyzing symbols and artifacts that define the nation.

Souvenir of Canada

Vaillancourt: Isn't It Beautiful (2019)

Vaillancourt: Isn't It Beautiful

2019•1h17m•★8.0TMDB

Armand Vaillancourt, a prominent Canadian sculptor, reveals his life story and artistic process in a personal account of his work.

Vaillancourt: Isn't It Beautiful

Visual Velocity: The Work of Stan VanDerBeek (2000)

Visual Velocity: The Work of Stan VanDerBeek

Stan VanDerBeek, an experimental filmmaker, is celebrated for his innovative fusion of technology and creativity in this PBS-produced tribute to his work.

Visual Velocity: The Work of Stan VanDerBeek

SWK4 (1993)

SWK4

1993•33m•★9.5TMDB

José de Almada Negreiros, a Futurist artist, articulates his philosophy on identity and self-perception through his work in this exploration of his artistic vision.

East with Sonia Wieder-Atherton (2009)

East with Sonia Wieder-Atherton

2009•1h24m•★7.0TMDB

Sonia Wieder-Atherton travels through central and eastern Europe, including Russia, to reinterpret vocal music for the cello and reveal cultural ties.

East with Sonia Wieder-Atherton

Chelsea on the Rocks (2008)

Chelsea on the Rocks

2008•1h28m•★5.7TMDB

Former residents of the Chelsea Hotel, including Gaby Hoffmann and Grace Jones, recount the landmark's cultural legacy and significant events in its history.

Chelsea on the Rocks

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →