ROBERT FORD GAGEN
British/Canadian 1847-1926
AVAILABLE WORKS
Born in London, England to the son of an architect, Robert Ford Gagen had an interest in art from an early age. His family immigrated to Canada with his family in 1862 and settled on a farm in Huron County, Ontario. From 1863 he studied under artist William Nicoll Cresswell who lived nearby, and was successful in provincial exhibitions. With letters of introduction from Cresswell, Gagen moved to Toronto and studied under George Gilbert. Gagen joined Nortman’s art department where he worked under the direction of John Fraser who encouraged and advised the young artist. Gagen spent nine years with the firm from 1873-1892 painting portraits and miniatures on a photographic base. He emerged as a skilled landscape painter, drawing his inspiration from the vast Canadian landscape.
Primarily a watercolour painter, Gagen also painted in oil, and is best known for his seascapes and landscapes, as well as portraits, flowers and coloured photographs. He travelled extensively across the country from the Rockies to the Atlantic, painting the shores of the St. Lawrence in Quebec, as well as in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine and Massachusetts. He travelled to the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains first in 1890, repeating the trip several times, as well as England and Scotland, and Switzerland in 1906. In 1918 he was asked by the Canadian War Memorials Fund to record shipbuilding in Ontario. In his later years he travelled regularly to the Bay of Fundy sketching and gathering materials to paint in his studio.
A co-founding member of the Ontario Society of Artists in 1872, he served as its long standing secretary from 1889 until his death in 1926. He was also instrumental in the founding of the Royal Canadian Academy, an Associate in 1890 and full member in 1915. He held significant roles in numerous cultural organizations including as President of the Arts and Letters Club (1919-20), Commis¬sioner of Fine Arts for the Canadian National Exhibition (1912-26), and was awarded honourable mention at the Pan-American Exhibition in 1901. He exhibited widely, including the Royal Canadian Academy from 1881-1925, Art Association of Montreal 1880-1910, Ontario Society of Artists 1873-1926, Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour 1926, as well as in Buffalo, Chicago, and St. Louis. His work is in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Brooklyn Museum.
An accomplished landscape painter, Gagen’s best work is considered his paintings of the sea and landscapes including seashores, rocks, waves, fishing boats. Inspired by his visits to the Atlantic coasts, he mastered the ability to capture maritime life and the effect of sunlight on shadow on the rocky coasts.