James Wilson Morrice

James Wilson Morrice , 1865-1924, Canadian painter, b. Montreal. Abandoning law, he went to Paris, where he studied painting. He visited Venice, Trinidad, Tunis, and periodically returned to Canada. Admired for his subtle coloring and delicate rendering of landscapes, Morrice greatly influenced younger Canadian artists. The National Gallery, Ottawa, has several of his paintings, including Venice: Night and Dieppe: the Beach.

Morrice, James Wilson (1865–1924). Canadian landscape and figure painter, active mainly in Paris, where he settled in 1890. He was friendly with many leading artists, notably Whistler, who was an influence on his early work; later his style became mildly Fauvist. He was widely travelled and made several return visits to Canada, playing an important role in introducing modern trends to his country.

Morrice, James Wilson (1865–1924). Canadian landscape and figure painter, active mainly in Paris. He was born in Montreal, the son of a merchant who collected art and encouraged his son's interest in painting. After studying art in Toronto, he moved to Paris in 1890 and enrolled at the Académie Julian. Paris remained his home for the rest of his life, but he spent a great deal of time travelling, visiting North Africa, Venice, and the West Indies among other places, as well as making frequent trips to Canada, where he worked in Quebec, Montreal, and along the St Lawrence River (The Ferry, Quebec, NG, Ottawa, c. 1909). Morrice was friendly with many leading artists in Paris. His early inspiration came from Whistler and Conder; later his style became gently Fauvist under the influence of Matisse and Marquet. His work was important in introducing modern trends to Canada (although he did not exhibit in his own country after 1916); Dennis Reid (A Concise History of Canadian Painting, 1973) writes that ‘countless young Canadians sought out his work. Along with Horatio Walker, he was the Canadian who then had the strongest reputation abroad.’ See also CANADIAN ART CLUB.