Lucius Richard O'Brien (or L. R. O'Brien as he was known) (15 August 1832 – 13 December 1899) was the most prominent Canadian artist of his generation, exhibiting with, and a member of, the newly established Ontario Society of Artists. He became vice-president of the society in 1873 and was chosen to be the first president of the Canadian Academy of Arts by the Governor General, the Marquess of Lorne, from 1880 to 1890. In oils and watercolour, O’Brien painted landscapes of Quebec and Ontario.

Life and career

O'Brien was born in Shanty Bay,

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

, a village his father founded on the shore of

Lake Simcoe Lake Simcoe is a lake in southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly within the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century, the lake was called ''Ouentir ...

.Reid, 85. His father was Edward George O'Brien R.N who retired from the Navy in 1830 and went out to Canada and settled in Shanty Bay. He became a J.P and Colonel of Militia. He married Sophie Gapper and died in 1875. He was a descendant of Sir Edward O'Brien, 2nd Baronet. Lineage:
• Lucius Richard O'Brien (15 August 1832 – 13 December 1899)
• Edward George O'Brien (1799-1875)
• Lucius O'Brien (1765-1840)
• Donough O'Brien
• Sir Edward O'Brien, 2nd Baronet (7 April 1705 – 26 November 1765) He graduated from

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an independent day and boarding school for boys in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as Canada's most prestigious preparatory school, and ha ...

in 1847 and is said to have directly started work in an architect's office where he did drafting. In 1852, he won two prizes at the Ontario Provincial Exhibition for painting. In 1856, he was listed as an artist in Toronto's City Directory. In 1872, Lucius began

landscape painting Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction in painting of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a cohe ...

, and quickly excelled in the genre. Two year later, after a dispute with artist John Arthur Fraser, O'Brien took Fraser's position as vice-president of the Ontario Society of Artists, a position he held until 1880, when he became founding President of the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria on 16 ...

. He is best known for landscape paintings from across Canada in oil and watercolour, such as, ''Sunrise on the Saguenay'' of 1880, which was the first academy diploma piece in the Royal Canadian Academy's first annual exhibition. In 1880, O'Brien began to work on ''Picturesque Canada'' (1882–84), which he edited. O'Brien toured across Canada, meeting with the country's artists and commissioned artists to produce woodblock prints for illustration of the text. O'Brien's art, and in particular ''Picturesque Canada,'' aimed to celebrated Canada's natural landscape united under confederation.Harper, 193-195. O'Brien was one of the first artists invited to travel to and paint the Rocky Mountains on the newly completed

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

in 1886. He died in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario at the age of 67. Cap Trinite

Notes

References

* Harper, Russell. ''Painting in Canada: A History.'' 2nd Edition. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1981. * Reid, Dennis. ''A Concise History of Canadian Painting.'' 2nd Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1988. .

External links

Examples of O'Brien's landscapes
from the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...

's image database ''Cybermuse.''
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Lucius Richard 1832 births 1899 deaths Province of Canada people 19th-century Canadian painters Canadian male painters Canadian landscape painters Canadian engineers 19th-century Canadian male artists Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts