The old barns nestled in the pastoral counties along the St. Lawrence River were an enduring source of inspiration for A.Y. Jackson. Often painting in the L’Islet and Charlevoix regions of Quebec, Jackson lamented rapid modernization and the slow disappearance of these picturesque structures. In Barns in Winter, the rhythmic patterns of sloping rooftops echo across the contoured hillside and opalescent snowbanks, while the verso sketch, Winter Landscape, features a stoic barn, its peak mirrored in the distant Laurentian Mountains.

Jackson routinely used both sides of his supports while on site, and these charming winter vignettes signal the legacy of rural architecture and its integral role in shaping the identity of the Québécois countryside. The unique provenance of this work underscores Jackson’s dedication to his annual painting expeditions alongside friends. In his autobiography he recalls: “I went every September to the Hewards’ summer home in Brockville.… We used to motor all around the district on sketching trips; the Eliots—Charlie, Ruth and their mother, Prudence Heward.… On the back roads we would find a creek or an old farm and all go to work.” Ruth Eliot, herself a landscape artist, acquired this painting directly from Jackson, and it has remained in the collection of her family.