PROVENANCE
Galerie Walter Klinkhoff Inc., Montreal
William B. Waite, CEO of Siemens, Montreal
By descent within the family to the present Private Collection, Vancouver

Cacouna, a municipality nestled on the southern shores of the St. Lawrence River, was the destination of Albert H. Robinson’s first Canadian painting excursion with Group of Seven member A.Y. Jackson in 1921. In this circa 1925 canvas, Robinson returns to the picturesque village to recapture its quaint, optimistic spirit as it emerges from the winter season. With his immediately recognizable pastel palette, he juxtaposes swathes of pale coral, pink, mauve and blue to offer a heightened vibrancy to the serene riverside vista. Beyond a horse-drawn sleigh, a cluster of humble pitch-roofed buildings look onto the vast river. Above the thawing shore in the distance, a narrow band of clear sky signals the imminent relief of longer days.

Such landscape elements were among Robinson’s most cherished subjects, which he continually recombined into rhythmic compositions distinct from those of his predecessors as well as his peers and travel companions, Jackson, Randolph Hewton and Edwin Holgate. His characteristic colouration and clever arrangements, not to mention his limited output, make canvases like Spring, Cacouna rare and exceptional examples from an artist devoted to capturing the quiet splendour of rural Quebec.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars