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William Barr

Paintings in Inventory

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Artist's Biography

A native of Scotland, William Barr studied at the Glasgow School of Art and at the Académie Julian in Paris before settling down for ten years as an art teacher in Paisley, Scotland. Barr visited California in 1912 and came to stay in 1915 at the time of the Panama Pacific International Exposition. He was a versatile member of the local art scene, painting portraits, landscapes and architectural subjects in the plein-air aesthetic. This painting depicts the same scene as a smaller work by the artist that bore the title "Early Summer near Palo Alto." The painting may depict Lake Lagunita as it appeared in the early part of the century. Barr has succeeded in creating a mood of peace and tranquility out of the rich early evening light that spreads warm harmonies through the center of the composition. Paintings like this were supposed to transport the viewer out of the noisy reality of urban life into a healthy and peaceful space close to nature.