Xavier Martinez (1869-1943) Mex/American, Oil

Indian sentry on a horse with rifle, oil on canvas. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Xavier Timoteo (Tizoc) y Orozco Martinez was a painter noted for his Tonalist style, an etcher, lithographer and long-time art activist in northern California.He began his art studies in Mexico, and moved to San Francisco in 1893 when his stepfather became consul-general from Mexico. Martinez enrolled at the School of Design as a pupil of Arthur Mathews and won high honors including a scholarship to study with Jean Leon Gerome at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he stayed five years, 1897-1901. During this time, he adopted Tonalism with somber greys, greens and browns. He also spent time with James McNeill Whistler, who had a strong influence on his work, especially with the Tonalist aesthetic. Martinez was a good friend of Maynard Dixon and in1905, the two artists traveled together to Guadalajara, Mexico.Overall size: 19 x 15 in. Sight size: 15 1/2 x 11 1/2 in.