Harley Griffiths
Harley Griffiths (1914-1995)
The Bridge 1959
28×38cm (including frame)
oil on cedar panel
$2800
Harley Griffiths
Australian 1908-1981
Born in New South Wales in 1908, Harley Cameron Griffiths was an Australian painter best known for his refined still-life and landscape works, deeply rooted in the tonal tradition of the Max Meldrum school.
It was in Melbourne under the influence of his father Frederick Harley Griffiths 1878-1951 (who had shared a studio with Meldrum), and through his teacher Archibald Colquhuon (who had been a sudent of Meldrum) where Harley Griffiths Junior honed the technical precision and tonal subtlety that would define his practice. The lineage is evident in his meticulous brushwork and orchestration of light, qualities that connect him to the mid-century Australian modernists who sought emotional resonance through careful modulation of form and hue.
In 1956, Griffiths was appointed as a Conservator of Paintings at the National Gallery of Victoria, a role that reflected his deep technical knowledge and lifelong dedication to the craft of painting. His expertise in pigment, surface, and preservation enriched not only his conservation work but also his own art practice, imbuing his canvases with clarity, control, and quiet sophistication.
Griffiths’s work reveals an intimate understanding of stillness and subtlety. His paintings evoke mood through restraint, and his nuanced approach to tone and structure marks him as a key figure in the lineage of Australian tonal painting.
Griffiths paintings are in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, The National Gallery of Australia and QAGOMA, as well as corporate and private collections across Australia.
