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Martin Lewis

Martin Lewis (1881-1962) was born in Australia, leaving home at the age of 15. He studied with Julian Ashton at the Art Society's School in Sydney. In 1900 he left Australia for the United States, settling in New York where he found work in commercial illustration: his first job was painting stage decorations for William McKinley's presidential campaign of 1900. His earliest etching is dated 1915, however the level of skill in this piece suggests he had been working in the medium for some time previously. In 1920 he decided to travel to Japan, where for eight months he learned oil and watercolor painting. In 1925, he returned to etching and produced most of his well-known works between 1925 and 1935, including series on Japan and New York. A first solo exhibition in 1929 was successful enough for him to give up commercial work and concentrate entirely on printmaking. With the onset of the Depression however, he was forced to leave the city for four years between 1932 and 1936. When he was finally able to return to the city in 1936, there was no longer a market interested in his work. He died largely forgotten.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Lewis_%28artist%29

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