Louis Choris

Louis Choris (1795-1828) was a German-Ukrainian painter and explorer. He was one of the first sketch artists for expedition research.

Louis Choris, who was a Ukrainian of German stock, was born in Yekaterinoslav, now Dnipro, Ukraine on March 22, 1795. He visited the Pacific and the west coast of North America in 1816 on board the Ruric, being attached in the capacity of artist to the Romanzoff expedition under the command of Lieutenant Otto von Kotzebue, sent out for the purpose of exploring a northwest passage.

Choris is said to have "painted nature as he found it. The essence of his art is truth; a fresh, vigorous view of life, and an originality in portrayal." The accompanying illustrations may therefore be looked upon as faithfully representing the subjects treated by the artist. After the voyage of the Ruric, Choris went to Paris where he issued a portfolio of his drawings in lithographic reproduction and studied in the ateliers of Gerard and Regnault. Choris worked extensively in pastels. He documented the Ohlone people in the missions of San Francisco, California in 1816. Seized by an irresistible craving for adventure, he left France in 1827 for South America. He met his end when he was murdered by robbers on March 22, 1828, en route to Vera Cruz, Mexico.

The Anchorage Museum of History and Art, the Honolulu Museum of Art and the Oakland Museum of California are among the public collections holding works by Louis Choris.

Kamehameha, King of the Sandwich Islands, pen and watercolor by Louis Choris, 1816, Honolulu Museum of Art

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