Homer Watson
Canadian painter, RCA, OSA , Canadian Art Club
Homer Watson was born January 14, 1855 in Doon, today near Kitchener, Ontario. From the age of 11, young Watson was introduced to art by trying to copy etchings and newspaper engravings.
He went to Toronto in 1874 and practiced copying pictures at the teacher training college, he occupied a workspace at the Notman-Fraser photo studio. This is where the painter Lucius O'Brien, then vice-president of the Ontario Artists' Society notices it.
He then spent some time in the United States, from where he was inspired by the painters of the Hudson River School. Returning to Ontario in 1878, he was elected assistant designer and designer member of the Ontario Society of Artist (OSA). He quickly exhibited with the Company and went from designer to painter. In 1880, Homer Watson exhibited at the very first exhibition of the Royal Canadian Academy, then named the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. His work The Pioneer Mill finds takers and is purchased by the Marquis de Lorne, Governor General of Canada. With this success, Watson became a member of the CRA in 1882.
The Marquis de Lorne becomes in some ways a patron for Watson, which allows him to make a living from his art. In addition, from the purchase of Pioneer Mill, Lorne acquires The Last Day of the Drought and then gives it to Queen Victoria.
Oscar Wilde during his visit to Toronto compared the work of Homer Watson to that of John Constable, renowned British painter.
In 1886 Watson won the bronze medal at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London. This exhibition presented a wide range of objects from the British colonies. In search of European recognition, Watson and his family settled for a few years in England and Scotland. It was during these years that he became friends with artists such as Georges Clausen, James McNeil Whistler and E.J. Gregory.
In 1900, Homer Watson won the bronze medal at the Exposition in St-Louis with his work titled Porte d'écluse. In 1907 he became the founding member and president of the Canadian Art Club. He was also president of the Royal Academy of Canada from 1918 to 1922.
He died in 1936 in Doon, Ontario