PROVENANCE
The Art Emporium, Vancouver, 1972
Private Collection, Montreal
A.K. Prakash & Associates Inc., Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto

A.Y. Jackson grew up in Montreal, and rural Quebec was always a special place for him. Throughout his career, Jackson sketched the region extensively; he reveled in both the architecture and the landscape of his native province. He often chose to paint the villages on the northern banks of the St. Lawrence River in late winter, when the snow was beginning to melt. Street in Quebec is a fine example of his deft handling of village architecture. He depicts the familiar motif of the horse and sleigh and, above all, demonstrates his command of light and shadow. The bright sunlight and contrasting shadows provide the image with a sense of life and clearly define the pictorial space.

Jackson’s scenes of small Québécois villages are among the most satisfying of his sketches. He realized that these rural settlements were quickly changing and sought to capture the unique aspects of Québécois life before they were gone. His slight resistance to the changes brought on by modernity is evident in the omission of the power lines between the two poles within the composition.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars