Parallel Destinies — Homer Watson and Carl Ahrens exhibition catalog cover showing autumn forest

Parallel Destinies: Homer Watson & Carl Ahrens

Dundas Museum & Archives

Dundas, Ontario

June 20 – September 5, 2015

This exhibition showcased the works of two Canadian landscape artists, Homer Watson and Carl Ahrens. The term parallel, used in the title, is a double-entendre. The evolution of Watson and Ahrens is similar in some respects. Both artists were born in Ontario, self-taught, and were friends and members of the same artistic societies. Yet, their lives were separated, never meeting.

Watson rose to fame young, and had an exemplary life and career. However, the quality of Watson's work decreased and he died a poor man. Ahrens was sick most of his life, lived a Bohemian lifestyle, and struggled to make a living. But nonetheless, Ahrens completed some of his best works in the later part of his life.

Almost eighty years after their passing, we ask ourselves - who did the right thing as an artist?

Sandu Sindile - Former Curator, Dundas Museum & Archives

Featured Art

Untitled Autumn Scene — watercolor on paper by Carl Ahrens, c. 1934 — **Untitled Autumn Scene**
Watercolor on paper
16.5 x 12.5 cm
Signed c. 1934

Collection of rych mills

Photo by Deborah Downes

This painting originally belonged to Frank Page. Page was a journalist, publisher, poet, historian, biographer of Waterloo County (Ontario) painter, Homer Watson, and president of the Waterloo Historical Society. He was a friend to both Carl Ahrens and Homer Watson.

Untitled Landscape — oil on plywood by Carl Ahrens, 1935, Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery — **Untitled Landscape**
Oil on plywood
40.5 x 35.5 cm
Signed 1935

Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery
Gift of Joan and Ross Murray 1985

Photo by Chris Keith

Figures in the Woods — watercolor on paper by Carl Ahrens, 1936 — **Figures in the Woods**
Watercolor on paper
23 x 18 cm
Signed 1936

Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes

Photo by Deborah Downes

Carl Ahrens died in February 1936, so this is one of his last paintings. The final months of his life were spent at the Toronto Psychiatric Hospital, where he had no access to scenes like this.

The Day is Done — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, 1890, Collection of Sandu Sindile — **The Day is Done**
Oil on canvas
58.5 x 84 cm
Signed 1890

Collection of Sandu Sindile

Photo by Sandu Sindile

Path in the Woods — watercolor on paper by Carl Ahrens, 1934 — **Path in the Woods**
Watercolor on paper
21.5 x 18 cm
Signed 1934

Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes

Photo by Deborah Downes

By the Grand River — oil on board by Carl Ahrens, 1930, Collection of Kim Bullock — **By the Grand River**
Oil on board
15 x 23 cm
Signed 1930

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Deborah Downes

Camp on the Plains — watercolor on paper by Carl Ahrens, 1888 — **Camp on the Plains**
Watercolor on paper
15 x 30.5 cm
Signed 1888

Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes

Photo by Deborah Downes

Untitled Forest Interior — oil on canvas mounted on board by Carl Ahrens, c. 1918 — **Untitled Forest Interior**
Oil on canvas mounted on board
30 x 20 cm
Signed c. 1918

Private Collection

Photo by Sandu Sindile

This painting was originally part of the estate of George G. Nasmith (1877–1965). Nasmith and Charles Burden took over as Ahrens' patrons after the death of Major-General Malcolm S. Mercer in June of 1916.

Clump of Trees — drypoint and aquatint with surface tone by Carl Ahrens — **Clump of Trees**
Drypoint and aquatint with surface tone
9 x 8 cm
Signed

Private Collection

Photo by Lorna Ferguson

Red Jacketed Figure in Wooded Landscape — oil on board by Carl Ahrens — **Red Jacketed Figure in Wooded Landscape**
Oil on board
38 x 30.5 cm
Signed

Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes

Photo by Deborah Downes

This painting was originally in the collection of Ahrens' friend, John Noble Mackendrick of Galt, Ontario. It would have been painted between 1923 and 1935.

Harvesting — oil on panel by Carl Ahrens, Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes — **Harvesting**
Oil on panel
14 x 23 cm
Signed

Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes

Photo by Kim Bullock

This painting was recently cleaned by Helen Houp.

Untitled Landscape — oil on board by Carl Ahrens, Collection of Sandu Sindile — **Untitled Landscape**
Oil on board
18 x 12.5 cm
Signed lower left

Collection of Sandu Sindile

Photo by Lorna Ferguson

Untitled Landscape with House and Pond — oil on board by Carl Ahrens, 1933, Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes — **Untitled Landscape with House and Pond**
Oil on Board
20 x 15 cm
Signed 1933

Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes

Photo by Deborah Downes

This painting was recently cleaned by Helen Houp.

In the Woods — etching and aquatint by Carl Ahrens, Collection of Kim Bullock — **In the Woods**
Etching and aquatint with surface tone
10 x 9 cm
Signed before 22 December 1927

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Chris Keith

Trees with Pond — watercolor on paper by Carl Ahrens, c. 1929, Collection of Kim Bullock — **Trees with Pond**
Watercolor on paper
16.5 x 14 cm
Signed c. 1929

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Kim Bullock

This painting was given by Carl to Dr. E.K. Richardsen in exchange for medical services in 1929. It was passed down to the doctor's granddaughter before being purchased back by one of Carl's descendants.

Edge of the Wood — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, c. 1910, Art Gallery of Hamilton — **Edge of the Wood**
Oil on canvas
63.5 x 48 cm
Signed c. 1910

Collection of The Art Gallery of Hamilton (Ontario)
Gift of Dr. J.S. Lawson, 1960

Photo by Sandu Sindile

This painting was exhibited, along with the rest of the Mercer Collection, at the Toronto Reference Library in October of 1911.

Evening in Surrey — oil on board by Carl Ahrens, 1935, Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes — **Evening in Surrey**
Oil on board
25.5 x 33 cm
Signed 1935

Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes

Photo by Deborah Downes

This painting is one of a few that Carl did when he lived in England in 1935.

The Feeding Ground — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, 1930, Private Collection — **The Feeding Ground**
Oil on canvas
89 x 99 cm
Signed 1930

Private Collection

Photo by Sandu Sindile

Forest Interior — oil on board by Carl Ahrens, Private Collection — **Forest Interior**
Oil on board
26.5 x 21.5 cm
Signed

Private Collection

Photo by Sandu Sindile

Untitled Landscape — oil on board by Carl Ahrens, c. 1934, Collection of Kim Bullock — **Untitled Landscape**
Oil on board
21 x 14 cm
Signed c. 1934

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Deborah Downes

This painting originally belonged to Frank Page. Page was a journalist, publisher, poet, historian, biographer of Waterloo County (Ontario) painter, Homer Watson, and president of the Waterloo Historical Society. He was also a friend to both Carl Ahrens and Homer Watson.

Moving Shadows — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, c. 1910, Collection of Sandu Sindile — **Moving Shadows**
Oil on canvas
61 x 51 cm
Signed c. 1910

Collection of Sandu Sindile

Photo by Sandu Sindile

This painting, along with all others in the Mercer Collection, was exhibited in the Toronto Reference Library in October of 1911.

Near Doon — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, c. 1930, Collection of rych mills — **Near Doon**
Oil on canvas
51 x 38 cm
Signed c. 1930

Collection of rych mills

Photo by Sandu Sindile

Pathway in the Hills — watercolor on paper by Carl Ahrens, 1931, Collection of rych mills — **Pathway in the Hills**
Watercolor on paper
24 x 20.5 cm
Signed 1931

Collection of rych mills

Photo by Sandu Sindile

I would have dated this piece much earlier if there were not a date on it. It does not appear to say '91,' which would have been what I expected. This does not appear to be an Ontario scene of any sort. Maybe it was a commissioned piece.

Figures on the Shore — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, 1888, Collection of rych mills — **Figures on the Shore**
Oil on canvas
23 x 44.5 cm
Signed 1888

Collection of rych mills

Photo by Sandu Sindile

The Picnickers — etching and aquatint by Carl Ahrens, Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes — **The Picnickers**
Etching and aquatint with surface tone
25.5 x 20 cm
Signed

Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes

Photo by Kim Bullock

Nuestra Senora de la Solidad — oil on board by Carl Ahrens, c. 1906, Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes — **Nuestra Senora de la Solidad**
Oil on board
43 x 32 cm
Signed c. 1906

Collection of Fred and Deborah Downes

Photo by Deborah Downes

This would have been painted in the summer of 1906. Carl's wife, Madonna, loved it so much that she claimed it for herself, but years later Carl forgot and gave it to a friend. As of September of 2008, the painting is back in the family.

Leith Woods — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, c. 1913, Collection of Kim Bullock — **On Georgian Bay**
Oil on canvas
35.5 x 25.5 cm
Signed c. 1913

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Sandu Sindile

This painting would have been painted in the small village of Leith, Ontario, on the shores of Georgian Bay. The Ahrens family summered there in 1913 and 1914. This painting sold at auction under the name Leith Woods and it appeared at the Parallel Destinies exhibition under that name, but its original title was likely On Georgian Bay, which appeared in a 1917 exhibition at the Roberts Gallery. That painting was described as a “pretty sketch of northern lake scenery viewed through a screen of woods.”

Landscape With Figure Carrying Sack — etching and aquatint in brown by Carl Ahrens, Collection of Kim Bullock — **Landscape With Figure Carrying Sack**
Etching and aquatint in brown
12.5 x 10 cm
Signed

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Chris Keith

Ship on Stormy Sea — watercolor on board by Carl Ahrens, Collection of Kim Bullock — **Ship on Stormy Sea**
Watercolor on board
18 x 12.5 cm
Signed lower left

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Kim Bullock

Midsummer — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, c. 1917, Private Collection — **Midsummer**
Oil on canvas
51 x 40.5 cm
Signed c. 1917

Private Collection

Photo by Sandu Sindile

This painting was originally part of the estate of George G. Nasmith (1877–1965). Mr. Nasmith was a friend of Carl's and took over as patron after the death of Major General Malcolm S. Mercer.

The Evening Sun — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, c. 1910, Private Collection — **The Evening Sun**
Oil on canvas
63.5 x 81 cm
Signed c. 1910

Private Collection

Photo by Sandu Sindile

This piece was originally owned by Major-General Malcolm S. Mercer and was exhibited at the Public Reference Library (Toronto) in October of 1911. In 1928, the painting was auctioned by the Jenkins Galleries of Toronto and sold for $425.

The Inlet — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, c. 1910, Collection of rych mills — **The Inlet**
Oil on canvas
58.5 x 81 cm
Signed c. 1910

Collection of rych mills

Photo by Sandu Sindile

This painting was exhibited in the Toronto Reference Library in October of 1911. It was at one time sold with the title Night Time and is referred to with that title in a 1928 article in Canadian Homes and Gardens. The Mercer exhibition catalog lists the original title, The Inlet.

In the Woods / Tree Roots 1933 — etching and aquatint by Carl Ahrens, 1933, Collection of Kim Bullock — **In the Woods / Tree Roots 1933**
Etching and aquatint with surface tone
18 x 14.5 cm
Signed 1933

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Chris Keith

The Valley — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, c. 1910, City of Toronto, Museum Services, Spadina Museum — **The Valley**
Oil on canvas
90 x 74 cm
Signed c. 1910

City of Toronto, Museum Services, Spadina Museum

Photo by Sandu Sindile

This painting, along with the rest of the Mercer Collection, was exhibited at the Toronto Reference Library in October of 1911.

Untitled Edge of the Wood — watercolor on paper by Carl Ahrens, Collection of Sandu Sindile — **Untitled Edge of the Wood**
Watercolor on Paper
21.5 x 29.7 cm
Signed

Collection of Sandu Sindile

Photo by Sandu Sindile

The Road to Town — etching with surface tone by Carl Ahrens, Collection of Kim Bullock — **The Road to Town**
Etching with surface tone
30.5 x 25.5 cm
Signed

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Chris Keith

Self Portrait — watercolor on paper by Carl Ahrens, c. 1886, Collection of Kim Bullock — **Self Portrait**
Watercolor on paper
10 x 7.5 cm
Unsigned c. 1886

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Kim Bullock

According to the notes on the back of this painting, this was among Carl Ahrens' first paintings. It is one of the few left unsigned. It is still in the family, so we are certain the work is his.

Untitled Forest Scene with Red-Jacketed Figure — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, Collection of Kim Bullock — **Untitled Forest Scene with Red-Jacketed Figure**
Oil on canvas
38 x 31 cm
Signed

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Deborah Downes

This painting has always been kept within the family. It was cleaned and restored in 1999 by Helen Houp.

Country Lane — watercolor on paper by Carl Ahrens, Collection of rych mills — **Country Lane**
Watercolor on paper
16 x 21 cm
Signed

Collection of rych mills

Photo by Sandu Sindile

The Teepee — etching and aquatint by Carl Ahrens, Collection of Kim Bullock — **The Teepee**
Etching and aquatint with surface tone
18 x 14 cm
Signed

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Chris Keith

Wooded Landscape with Turkeys — drypoint and aquatint by Carl Ahrens, Collection of Kim Bullock — **Wooded Landscape with Turkeys**
Drypoint and aquatint with surface tone
20 x 15 cm
Signed

Collection of Kim Bullock

Photo by Kim Bullock

Woodland Path — oil on canvas by Carl Ahrens, Collection of rych mills — **Woodland Path**
Oil on canvas
34 x 26.5 cm
Signed

Collection of rych mills

Photo by Sandu Sindile

Parallel Destinies: Homer Watson & Carl Ahrens — exhibition catalog cover, DM+A — Exhibition catalog, *Parallel Destinies: Homer Watson & Carl Ahrens*

Opening Day Images

In the main gallery of the Dundas Museum & Archives (Mercers)

Eight descendants of Carl Ahrens came to this event, four of them from his first family, and four from his second.

Event poster featuring work by Carl Ahrens and Homer Watson

In the main gallery of the Dundas Museum & Archives

Sandu Sindile (curator) welcoming everyone to Kim Bullock's speech on Carl Ahrens

Kim Bullock speaks about her great-grandfather, Carl Ahrens.