Lucius Richard O’Brien
Lucius Richard O’Brien (1832-1899) was born in Shanty Bay near Barrie, Ontario. He was educated and settled in Toronto. O’Brien was one of Canada’s leading landscape artists of the late 19th century. Skilful in both water colour and oil, he created evocative images of Canadian landmarks and wilderness. Influenced in terms of technique and compositional style by English water colourists, O’Brien rendered the Canadian landscape with great visual acuity and a sense of awe for the natural world. He was the art editor of the popular book Picturesque Canada and contributed many of his own sketches to it. O’Brien served on the executive of the Ontario Society of Artists and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and was instrumental in expanding their programs and membership. He travelled across western Canada on the Canadian Pacific Railway to paint the mountainous regions and made numerous trips to Quebec and Eastern Canada.
Link to bio from Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
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