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About Louis O. Griffith
Louis Oscar Griffith (1875-1956), from Nashville, Indiana, learned plein air painting in Texas, where he grew up, from Frank Reaugh; then he studied art in St. Louis, and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He maintained an exhibition schedule there after a brief stay in New York. A trip to Paris introduced him to the art of Cézanne, which modified his more conservative impressionist style. He went on to win awards at the Hoosier Salon, the Brown County Art Association, and the San Antonio Art League. His works may be found in the J. B. Speed Memorial Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, in the Oakland Art Gallery, and in the Delgado Museum of Art, in New Orleans.
One of the most typically impressionistic works, Mending the Nets shows L. O. Griffith’s superb technique. Small dashes of bright hue fairly bounce with luminescence. Here we find an effective balance of colorful shadow and brilliant highlights. This is a workaday scene of fishermen yet their task seems lightened by the sunshine that engulfs them. There is a pristine clarity and freshness in this work, which reflects Griffith’s ability to capture the effects of light and atmosphere. Griffith’s skill at composition is also quite obvious as he manipulates the forms of the fishing boats in his otherwise limited scene. |
Paintings by Louis O. Griffith
| Mending the Nets |
| oil on academy board: 18 x 21 ¾ inches |
| signed: lower left |
| date: circa 1910 |
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