Thomas Mower Martin (1838-1934)
Untitled: Forest Path Sunset
oil on artist card
(Sight): 13 ½” high x 9 ⅞” wide
(Framed): 22” high x 18 ⅜” wide
Description: A fine Canadian Historical oil painting by Thomas Mower Martin (1838-1934) RCA, RBC, OSA. Depicted is a well-worn log lined pathway at the intersection of a field and a forest. A small grouping of birch trees is growing along the brush lined border with taller pines found further within the woods. The birch glimmers with light and the darkness of the forest glows red with the setting sun.
Notes: It is hard to imagine a Canadian art collection without the “Father of Canadian Art” as Martin is sometimes described. Besides the aesthetic appeal and studied technique, Martin’s paintings represent a crucial period in the development of Art in Canada as well as an invaluable record of the shared social and environmental history. This example provides a visual document of the landscape prior to 19th and 20th century colonial land developments.
Markings: signed lower right, “TMMartinRCA”; early triangular framers label verso, “Picture Framing / BY / John Britnell Son / 876 Yonge St., Toronto”
(Sight): 13 ½” high x 9 ⅞” wide
(Framed): 22” high x 18 ⅜” wide
Condition: Excellent – Ready for Display.
For Accuracy: there is uniform darkening of the surface from age and the frame shows some light chipping at the extremities. See Photographs.
Artist Biography: Thomas Mower Martin (England / Canada, 1838-1934) RCA, RBA, OSA. Taught at Enfield for a military career Martin managed to strike his own path and enroll at the South Kensington Schools. A founding member of the Ontario Society of Artists and a charter member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and member of the Royal British Colonial Society of Artists. A prolific painter Martin is best known for Canadian Historical landscapes.
