Untitled (Seine, Paris)

Artist Roy C. Gamble (American, 1889-1972)

Date1910 or 1911

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsImage Size: 19 × 23 1/2 in. (48.3 × 59.7 cm) Frame Size: 28 1/4 × 32 1/2 in. (71.8 × 82.6 cm)

ClassificationsPainting

Object numberUAC599

DescriptionBorn in 1887, American Impressionist Roy C. Gamble was internationally recognized for both his murals and portraitures, having been influenced by a unique blend of Parisian Post-Impressionism, American Impressionism, and Ashcan School Realism. In 1906 he Attended the Detroit Fine Arts Academy. While there, he joined the Hopkin Club, which consisted of several artists who met to discuss art and sketch together. In 1913, this club was renamed to the Scarab Club, consisting of several famous members, including Edsel Ford, Albert Kahn, and Henry T. Ewald, and was in touch with international artists such as Diego Rivera, Marcel Duchamp, and Normal Rockwell. After his time at the Detroit Fine Arts Academy, Gamble went to study at the Art Students League in New York, which was associated with the Ashcan School of Art. Eventually he found himself in Paris during the Post-Impressionist period and attended several schools there before returning to Detroit to focus on portraiture in 1914. Soon after he was commissioned to paint murals for the Detroit Free Press building. The five murals depicted various scenes from the earliest days of Detroit’s history. He continued to paint murals from then on, gathering critical acclaim and receiving commissions to paint large portraits of several Michigan governors and Chief Justices.

Gamble’s 1910 – 1911 painting Untitled, which is currently on display at the Elaine L. Jacob Gallery, is one of several works that he painted while in Paris and clearly displays the influence Post-Impressionism had on his style. This oil on canvas painting is of a picturesque scene of the Seine River in the evening, with boats in the foreground along the water’s edge, and a bridge and buildings beyond them melting into the grey light of dusk. A tree frames the left side of the piece, and plumes of smoke appear to be coming from one of the boats nearest the bridge. Little yellow-orange spots of light dot the painting, some on the boats and some lining the bridge, each with a light blue halo surrounding them. The whole scene is painted in various shades of blue and grey, working together to create a harmonious and calming effect on the viewer. One can see the thick brushstrokes and impasto technique, or physical buildup of paint on the canvas, utilized by the artist, drawing the viewer’s attention to the boats and smoke clouds in particular, adding texture and depth to the painting. The frame that the picture is in adds to the sketchy style of the painting, as it also looks a little roughed up and weathered by the river, the dark brown and lighter golden-brown spots making the blue color scheme pop without being too distracting. This painting is typical of the work Gamble was producing at this time, as he painted several Post-Impressionist pieces during his stay in Paris, notably a painting of the Siene river front from a different perspective and color scheme, having a yellow dock cut into the green-yellow river at a harsher angle than his previously mentioned blue piece. This piece also features a bridge on the horizon line and boats docked at the water’s edge. Both paintings were shown in the Paris Salon in 1910 and 1911.

Gamble passed away in 1972 at the age of 83, leaving behind a lasting legacy. His paintings have been disseminated throughout Michigan and can be seen in collections at the Detroit Historical Society, the Detroit Athletic club, at the Michigan Supreme court, and at the Michigan State Capitol. His works have also been displayed in galleries across the country, including the Corcoran in Washington, D.C., the Colony Club and Davis Gallery in New York, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.

1. Audry Zofchak, “Roy C. Gamble: Detroit Muralist & Portraitist,” University Art Collection, artcollection.wayne.edu, 2026, https://artcollection.wayne.edu/roy-gamble#_ednref31
2. “Untitled (Seine, Paris,) University Art Collection, Artmuseum.wayne.edu, 2026, https://artmuseum.wayne.edu/objects/3250/untitled-seine-paris?ctx=008bfdcfa210159429f4f15b99e4ad4e5fc60230&idx=0
3. Audry Zofchak, “Roy C. Gamble: Detroit Muralist & Portraitist”