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The subject matter and the languid figurative style of this
unfinished work are typical of F. Luis Mora. Four figures relax
along the bank of a river during the summer, drawing, relaxing,
and otherwise partaking in common leisure activities.
While the work remains undated, according to Peter Hastings
Falk, Editor of F. Luis Mora, America's First Hispanic Master
[1874-1940] (Baron, Lynne Pauls. Madison, CT: Baron Art Estate
Management, 2008) it was most likely done on the Shrewsbury River
in New Jersey, ca. 1900. Luis’ wife, Sonia, is on the left.
Her sister, Lola, is likely one of the other women.
Francis Luis Mora was the son of Domingo Mora, a sculptor
from Uruguay. The Moras came to the United States when Francis
Luis, always referred to as Luis, was six. While Mora did study
under his father, he also attended the Boston Museum of Fine
Arts School, as well as the Art Students League. Mora emerged
as a painter, illustrator, and muralist, and was selling illustrations
for periodicals by the age of 18. He was also an established
teacher; in 1904 he taught with Robert Henri at W.M. Chase’s
school in Shinnecock, Long Island. He was elected a National
Academician in 1906.
In 1910, Mora wrote, “I am very much interested in painting
numerous little pictures of every day out-door life.” Mora
and his wife bought 28 acres of land in Gaylordsville, CT in
1912. Mora loved painting their Connecticut guests almost as
much as rendering the beauty of the landscape itself. He became
known for his landscapes, floral motifs, and scenes of figures
in repose that illustrate common, everyday activities. Picnics,
especially, were a favorite choice of subject matter.
Mora enjoyed a significant reputation during his lifetime.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has nine of his works,
including four paintings, four drawings, and a watercolor. Mora
also painted a portrait of President Harding, which remains in
the White House today. His work is also in the The Newark Museum,
The Yale University Art Gallery, The New York Historical Society
and The Smithsonian Museum of American Art, among other collections.
In 2005 he was the subject of a major exhibition at ACA Galleries:
“Francis Luis Mora: A Legacy Remembered.”
This painting is housed in an early 20th c. Newcomb-Macklin
frame. |
