Sparks was born in Washington, DC and spent most of his career in Pittsburgh, teaching at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, where he established the Department of Painting and Illustration in 1908. Sparks traveled extensively in Europe and no doubt his interest in impressionism and the quality of light observed in Martigues on the southern coast of France is evident in this highly accomplished work. The shadows, reflections in the water and sun-drenched facades demonstrate his full absorption of the style.
