Francis Morton-johnson (1878–1931) – Barge On A Parisian Port At The Austerlitz Viaduct

Watercolor measuring 48 x 31 cm (sight size) and 54 x 37 cm (framed). Francis Morton-Johnson was an American post-Impressionist painter born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1878 and died in France in 1931. He came to France at a very young age and studied at the Académie Julian. This private painting school was founded in Paris in 1866 by the married couple, painters Rodolphe Julian and Amélie Beaury-Saurel. The quality of the teaching he received there led him to perfect his artistic training. Several great names in painting remain associated with the Académie Julian, including Albert André, Marcel Baschet, André Favory, Léon Bakst, Pierre Clayette, Claude Schürr, Jean Dubuffet, Marcel Duchamp, Jacques Villon, Édouard Vuillard, and Henri Matisse. He exhibited at the Salon d'Automne from 1907, then at the Salon des Indépendants every year until the First World War, which brought him recognition. A work he presented at the Salon des Indépendants in 1908 was acquired by the French state for its public collections, a rare occurrence worth noting. His talent was also recognized in the United States, as he was invited to participate in the exhibition of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. The subject of the industrial port, depicted here, places Francis Morton-Johnson firmly within the tradition of classical Impressionism. The vivid brushwork and color combinations of this His watercolors bear the imprint of the artist's innate skill. The axes and masses of color that guide the organization of his work are of exceptionally high quality and balance. Francis Morton-Johnson primarily painted harbors and the Seine, as well as the countryside. He painted throughout his life; a brilliant Post-Impressionist artist, he forged a unique style. It is no exaggeration to say that Francis Morton-Johnson is a forgotten artist today, even though his market value has recently been soaring. Like Georges de La Tour (1593–1652), once forgotten and now a master of chiaroscuro, acquiring a work by Francis Morton-Johnson is therefore a relatively low-risk, speculative investment.