A.Y. Jackson’s early exposure to French Impressionism in France in 1907 and his absorption of its tenets can be sensed in his gorgeous sky in Petite Rivière, Que. Upward brush-strokes lay down layers of hues from turquoise to deeper blue and create a radiant, vibrating atmosphere. In this still scene, anchored by the stationary boats, Jackson created movement through the diagonal of the shore, the soft flow of the river and the shimmering sky.

Almost every year during the 1920s, Jackson made sketching trips in late winter and early spring to the north and south shores of the St. Lawrence River. Jackson’s paintings of this area forged his legacy, and his affection for this rural area that he knew so well was palpable. Here the sun has melted the snow, which lingers in patches on the shore and hills across the river, revealing the warm brown of bare earth. Slivers of exposed board add to this impression of warmth, as do spots in the sky, and emphasize the ridges of textural brushwork. The river, broken free of winter ice, is a striking milky green, purple and blue. This tranquil, appealing painting is an outstanding Group of Seven period work.

There is an unfinished sketch on verso.