Born in Syracuse, New York, Knowles showed early artistic ability with impressionist-inspired artworks. Having later enrolled in West Point Military Academy at the persuasion of his grandfather, Knowles returned to painting when a serious accident put an end to his military career. Taking lessons in New York under William Merritt Chase, Knowles later accepted a position at the iconic Notman and Fraser photography studio in Toronto. Under this mentorship, Knowles developed a keen sense of the effects of light and atmosphere through the interaction and proximity to the photographic process.
Some of the most celebrated compositions by the artist include seascapes, harbour scenes and figure studies all with an emphasis on the effects of light and atmosphere. Bathing women figured prominently in the artist’s oeuvre with the ladies gracefully lounging, washing and interacting with one another. “Women Bathing” is set in a poetic moonlight landscape, harkening to mythic pictorial themes of bathing goddesses. Set against an inky blue background, the soft white light of the moon pours over the women seated on the rocky shoreline and standing in the calm waters, highlighting their curves and casting long shadows on the water’s surface.
