Homer Watson
Encyclopedia
Homer Ransford Watson was a Canadian
landscape painter. He was "the man who first saw Canada as Canada, rather than as dreamy blurred pastiches of European painting," according to J. Russell Harper, a former curator of Canadian art at the National Gallery of Canada. He was a member and president (1918–1922) of the Royal Canadian Academy, as well as a founding member and first president (1907–1911) of the Canadian Art Club
.
), Ontario
. He received his first set of paints from an aunt and he decided to become an artist. He sought the advice of Thomas Mower Martin
in Toronto
, and moved there in 1874. He copied works at the Toronto Normal School
and was mainly self-taught, but met other artists in Toronto (e.g., Lucius O'Brien
) while working part-time at a photography studio.
In 1876, he traveled to New York
and met the painter George Inness
. He was influenced by the Hudson River School
and painted along the Hudson
and Susquehanna River
s in the Adirondack Mountains
. In 1880, he sold his first major work, The Pioneer Mill, to the Marquis of Lorne for Queen Victoria's art collection. That same year, the marquis opened the first exhibition of the Royal Canadian Academy; Watson's work was displayed and he was elected an Associate.
In 1881, he married Roxanna Bechtel, and the couple moved into the Drake House at Doon. They bought the house in 1883, and he would keep the house as his permanent residence until his death. Watson painted the rural Grand River
countryside for most of his artistic life. He was noted for his commitment to Canadian landscapes: he said "there is at the bottom of each artistic conscience a love for the land of their birth... no immortal work has been done which has not as one of its promptings for its creation a feeling its creator had of having roots in his native land and being a product of its soil."
In 1882, while touring Canada, Oscar Wilde
dubbed Watson the "Canadian Constable
," comparing him to the great English landscape artist because of similar subject matter and style. Wilde would occasionally visit Watson in his home and they sent letters to each other. The letters as well as Watson's death mask
are lost in the black market. They last resurfaced in the early 1990s only to disappear again.
Watson moved to England
in 1887 for four years, and further established his reputation. Over the next few years, his works became increasingly popular among collectors and received prizes at expositions across North America. In 1902, at the height of his British career, he exhibited The Flood Gate.
He campaigned to save the Waterloo County woodlands that he had preserved in his landscapes. After the death of Roxa in 1918, he was joined by his sister Phoebe in Doon. He was forced to sell many works from his personal collection by the Stock Market Crash of 1929.
He died in Doon. Many of his works are still on display at his old house, which he and his sister had transformed into a small art gallery.
On May 27, 2005, Canada Post
issued a pair of postage stamp
s in his honour. Two stamps of denominations 50 and 85 cents were issued depicting two of his works, Dawn in the Laurentides and The Flood Gates.
An arterial road in Kitchener
, which connects the Doon area to the main parts of the city, is named Homer Watson Boulevard.
Watson has been designated a Person of National Historic Significance in Canada. Watson's former house in Doon, now the Doon School of Fine Arts, was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1980.
Miller, Muriel. Homer Watson : the man of Doon Toronto: Summerhill Press, 1988.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
landscape painter. He was "the man who first saw Canada as Canada, rather than as dreamy blurred pastiches of European painting," according to J. Russell Harper, a former curator of Canadian art at the National Gallery of Canada. He was a member and president (1918–1922) of the Royal Canadian Academy, as well as a founding member and first president (1907–1911) of the Canadian Art Club
Canadian Art Club
-The Canadian Art Club:Established in Toronto in 1907 to advance the standards of Canadian art exhibitions and to exhibit the work of Canadian expatriate artists at home. The annual exhibitions organized in Toronto, and in Montreal in 1910 , included the finest work being produced by Canadian...
.
Life and career
The son of Ransford Watson and Susan Mohr, he was born in the village of Doon (now part of KitchenerKitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
), Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He received his first set of paints from an aunt and he decided to become an artist. He sought the advice of Thomas Mower Martin
Thomas Mower Martin
Thomas Mower Martin was an English-born Canadian landscape painter dubbed "the father of Canadian art"-Life and work:Martin was born in London, England, the son of Edward H. Martin, sub-treasurer of the Inner Temple, and SusanAbernethy...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and moved there in 1874. He copied works at the Toronto Normal School
Toronto Normal School
The Toronto Normal School was a teachers college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1847, the Normal School was located at Church and Gould streets in central Toronto, and was a predecessor to the current Ontario Institute for Studies in Education...
and was mainly self-taught, but met other artists in Toronto (e.g., Lucius O'Brien
Lucius Richard O'Brien
Lucius Richard O'Brien was an influential 19th-century Canadian oil and watercolour landscape artist.-Life and career:...
) while working part-time at a photography studio.
In 1876, he traveled to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and met the painter George Inness
George Inness
George Inness was an American landscape painter; born in Newburgh, New York; died at Bridge of Allan in Scotland. His work was influenced, in turn, by that of the old masters, the Hudson River school, the Barbizon school, and, finally, by the theology of Emanuel Swedenborg, whose spiritualism...
. He was influenced by the Hudson River School
Hudson River school
The Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism...
and painted along the Hudson
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
s in the Adirondack Mountains
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
. In 1880, he sold his first major work, The Pioneer Mill, to the Marquis of Lorne for Queen Victoria's art collection. That same year, the marquis opened the first exhibition of the Royal Canadian Academy; Watson's work was displayed and he was elected an Associate.
In 1881, he married Roxanna Bechtel, and the couple moved into the Drake House at Doon. They bought the house in 1883, and he would keep the house as his permanent residence until his death. Watson painted the rural Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
countryside for most of his artistic life. He was noted for his commitment to Canadian landscapes: he said "there is at the bottom of each artistic conscience a love for the land of their birth... no immortal work has been done which has not as one of its promptings for its creation a feeling its creator had of having roots in his native land and being a product of its soil."
In 1882, while touring Canada, Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
dubbed Watson the "Canadian Constable
John Constable
John Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
," comparing him to the great English landscape artist because of similar subject matter and style. Wilde would occasionally visit Watson in his home and they sent letters to each other. The letters as well as Watson's death mask
Death mask
In Western cultures a death mask is a wax or plaster cast made of a person’s face following death. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or be used for creation of portraits...
are lost in the black market. They last resurfaced in the early 1990s only to disappear again.
Watson moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1887 for four years, and further established his reputation. Over the next few years, his works became increasingly popular among collectors and received prizes at expositions across North America. In 1902, at the height of his British career, he exhibited The Flood Gate.
He campaigned to save the Waterloo County woodlands that he had preserved in his landscapes. After the death of Roxa in 1918, he was joined by his sister Phoebe in Doon. He was forced to sell many works from his personal collection by the Stock Market Crash of 1929.
He died in Doon. Many of his works are still on display at his old house, which he and his sister had transformed into a small art gallery.
On May 27, 2005, Canada Post
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...
issued a pair of postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s in his honour. Two stamps of denominations 50 and 85 cents were issued depicting two of his works, Dawn in the Laurentides and The Flood Gates.
An arterial road in Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
, which connects the Doon area to the main parts of the city, is named Homer Watson Boulevard.
Watson has been designated a Person of National Historic Significance in Canada. Watson's former house in Doon, now the Doon School of Fine Arts, was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1980.
External links
- Homer Watson House & Gallery
- Biography at Mount Allison University
- Virtual Museum on Homer Watson
- London Ontario Museum on Homer Watson
- University of Waterloo Library Holdings on Homer Watson
- Finding aid, Homer Watson fonds, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives
Further reading
Homer Watson: not your average pastoral picnic: selections from the permanent collection. Kitchener, ON: Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, 2005.Miller, Muriel. Homer Watson : the man of Doon Toronto: Summerhill Press, 1988.