- 95
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon 1881 - 1942
Description
- Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
- Ferme de St. Antoine (Baie St. Paul, vers 1923)
titled and certified by Lucile Rodier Gagnon (no.286) on a label on the reverse, and with the artist's thumbprint on the reverse
- oil on panel
- 12 by 17.8 cm.
- 4¾ by 7 in.
Provenance
Catalogue Note
The region of Baie St. Paul, Québec, where Gagnon lived, was a source of artistic inspiration throughout his career. Its unique topography and age old charm lent a rich aesthetic culture that inspired Gagnon to paint some of his most celebrated works. He revelled in its picturesque views, such as this one, and created landscapes that were so evocative that they defined and cemented his artistic reputation.
While the area became known as his domain, the very fact that his work was widely admired and disseminated meant that he introduced and attracted other painters to discover what he had already found.
Gagnon was at heart a colourist. Nowhere is this more evident than in the brightly lit cluster of pumpkin-colored farmhouses and in his rendering of a vibrant pink and soft green sunset. The white of the snowy ground blends effortlessly with the blue and purple hues of the surrounding landscape. Gagnon's depiction of light in its many forms and nuances brings cohesion to the composition.
LITERATURE
Helen Sicotte and Michèle Grandbois, Clarence Gagnon, 1881 - 1942, Dreaming The Landscape, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Québec, 2006, p. 136.