- 94
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon 1881 - 1942
Description
- Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
- Coupe de la Glace, Rivière du Gouffre (Charlevoix) (vers 1921)
- titled and certified by Lucile Rodier Gagnon (no.303) on a label on the reverse
- oil on panel
- 11.8 by 17.8 cm
- 5 by 7 in.
Provenance
Catalogue Note
Gagnon was born in a small village in rural Quebec and after his formal training at the acclaimed Academie Julian, Paris, he returned home to his native roots. But he did not abandon what he had absorbed in Europe – especially the tenets of Impressionism with its seemingly spontaneous technique enlivened by bright colours. An important component of this school was painting en plein air, or painting on the spot.
In rural Charlevoix County on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, Gagnon created many small-scale views. His outdoor painting excursions, travelling on skis in winter, allowed him to study and record the everyday activities of his community.
In this charming depiction of two locals sawing blocks of ice from the frozen river, Gagnon created a work that is so engaging, the viewer cannot help but feel nostalgic for a time gone by. While dedicating his career to capturing the picturesque and untouched quality of the county, he never forgot that he was foremost a painter. His consummate skill as a colourist is evident in his use of vibrant blues and soft greens all bathed in a luminous light.
LITERATURE
Helene Sicotte and Michèle Grandbois, Clarence Gagnon, 1881 - 1942, Dreaming the Landscape, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Québec, 2006, pp. 158 - 159, 137, 100, for other examples of this subject, reproduced.