Note
Granville Redmond
(b. 1871, Philadelphia – d.1935, Los Angeles)
CALIFORNIA LANDSCAPE, OAKS AND MEADOW
c. 1904, Oil on canvas, 33 x 55 inches
Jonathan Club collection
Deaf from the age of three from scarlet fever, Redmond and his family moved to San Jose, California in 1879 so he could attend the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley. While there, his teacher, who was a painter and photographer, encouraged Redmond’s artistic abilities. Redmond pursued further art study at the San Francisco School of Design and won a scholarship to Paris at Academie Julian. One of his paintings was accepted in the Paris Salon.
After a period of residence in various locations throughout California, Redmond returned to Los Angeles in 1917, where he sought work as a pantomime in silent films. Befriended by Charlie Chaplin, Redmond was provided a painting studio on the movie lot and had several minor roles in Chaplin films such as "City Lights" and "A Dog’s Life." In between his work as an actor, Redmond devoted his time to painting. He often painted and sketched in Laguna Beach, and in 1918 he was a charter member of the Laguna Beach Art Association. Redmond continued to paint landscapes until his death in 1935.
Redmond exhibited this painting at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, where it received much acclaim. The painting represents a tranquil Southern California scene, depicting a locale well known to Redmond—the view from his home looking north. In 1905 Redmond exhibited the painting again at the Fourth Annual Exhibition of the Ruskin Art Club in Los Angeles. There, Henry E. Huntington saw and acquired it for the Jonathan Club as a gift to celebrate the club’s tenth anniversary.