- 85
Clarence Alphonse Gagnon 1881 - 1942
Estimate
400,000 - 600,000 CAD
bidding is closed
Description
- Clarence Alphonse Gagnon
- St. Malo from the Cliffs of Saint-Briac
- signed lower right
- oil on canvas
- 39 by 47 cm.
- 15 1/4 by 18 1/2 in.
Provenance
Galerie Claude Lafitte, Montréal
Private Collection
Private Collection
Exhibited
37th Annual Exhibition of the Ontario Society of Artists, Toronto, February 20 - March 20, 1909, no. 47, for Rocks, Brittany, St. Briac
Annual Exhibition, Royal Canadian Academy, Toronto, Aug. 24 - Sept. 9, 1912, no. 270, as St. Malo from the Cliffs
29th Annual Spring Exhibition, Art Association of Montréal, Montréal, March 14 - April 6, 1912, no. 152, as Saint-Malo, from St. Briac
Fifth Annual Exhibition of the Canadian Art Club, Art Museum of Toronto, Toronto, February 8 - 27, 1912, no. 31
Annual Exhibition, Royal Canadian Academy, Toronto, Aug. 24 - Sept. 9, 1912, no. 270, as St. Malo from the Cliffs
29th Annual Spring Exhibition, Art Association of Montréal, Montréal, March 14 - April 6, 1912, no. 152, as Saint-Malo, from St. Briac
Fifth Annual Exhibition of the Canadian Art Club, Art Museum of Toronto, Toronto, February 8 - 27, 1912, no. 31
Literature
Hugues de Jouvancourt, Clarence Gagnon, Montréal, 1970, reproduced.
René Boissay, Clarence Gagnon, Ottawa, 1988, p. 79, plate 18, reproduced in colour.
Paul Duval, Canadian Impressionism, Toronto, 1990, p. 7, reproduced in colour.
René Boissay, Clarence Gagnon, Ottawa, 1988, p. 79, plate 18, reproduced in colour.
Paul Duval, Canadian Impressionism, Toronto, 1990, p. 7, reproduced in colour.
Catalogue Note
Gagnon belonged to a generation that felt a strong bond with Europe and looked east for training, example, and inspiration. Paris was regarded as the centre of the art world, and not only by Canadians, but by Americans, Englishmen, Russians, Spaniards, and just about every artist then alive. In addition to two years’ study when he was young and frequent trips thereafter, Gagnon lived in France for twelve years.
So it was natural that Gagnon would be drawn to the artistic centre and become knowledgeable about the various forms of art, colour theories, different aesthetic schools, and places to paint that were in vogue when he was there. And so he, like so many other artists then and later, found himself in Brittany and at the old walled harbour town of St. Malo, in the northwest corner of France.
The fact that Jacques Cartier sailed from St. Malo on his voyage of discovery to North America and Quebec would not be lost on Gagnon. Indeed, this was likely a pre-determined site for him, one in which he would be able to feel a connection with his home base in Baie St. Paul on the shores of the St. Lawrence River.
Painted in 1907-08, this work was done when Gagnon was just at the peak of his early years – fully in command of his medium, filled with youthful energy, and able to control every aspect of what he thought, felt, and could deliver.
This painting shimmers with the clear, almost brittle, light of the north Atlantic that floods into the south entrance to the English Channel near St. Malo. The cliffs in the foreground lead our eye toward the distant and brilliant spires of the ancient town. Every element of the painting, its subtle colours breathing through the depiction of the clouds, the figures picnicking on the cliffs, the low, wind-beaten foliage, and the deep turquoise of the sea, all these conspire to make one of Gagnon’s most inspired paintings.
So it was natural that Gagnon would be drawn to the artistic centre and become knowledgeable about the various forms of art, colour theories, different aesthetic schools, and places to paint that were in vogue when he was there. And so he, like so many other artists then and later, found himself in Brittany and at the old walled harbour town of St. Malo, in the northwest corner of France.
The fact that Jacques Cartier sailed from St. Malo on his voyage of discovery to North America and Quebec would not be lost on Gagnon. Indeed, this was likely a pre-determined site for him, one in which he would be able to feel a connection with his home base in Baie St. Paul on the shores of the St. Lawrence River.
Painted in 1907-08, this work was done when Gagnon was just at the peak of his early years – fully in command of his medium, filled with youthful energy, and able to control every aspect of what he thought, felt, and could deliver.
This painting shimmers with the clear, almost brittle, light of the north Atlantic that floods into the south entrance to the English Channel near St. Malo. The cliffs in the foreground lead our eye toward the distant and brilliant spires of the ancient town. Every element of the painting, its subtle colours breathing through the depiction of the clouds, the figures picnicking on the cliffs, the low, wind-beaten foliage, and the deep turquoise of the sea, all these conspire to make one of Gagnon’s most inspired paintings.