Doris McCarthy entered the art world during a period of significant and dynamic change, as the modernist ideals of the Group of Seven were gaining widespread recognition. From 1926 to 1930, McCarthy studied at the Ontario College of Art under Group members Arthur Lismer and J.E.H. MacDonald. With a strong appreciation for nature and an innate drive, McCarthy readily embraced the Group’s modernist sensibility and adventurous approach to painting the Canadian landscape.

In the summer of 1933, McCarthy embarked with friends on her first major painting trip outside of Ontario. Camping, exploring and painting in the Gatineau villages of Quebec, they traveled as far north as the town of Mont-Laurier and east to Baie-Saint-Paul, and later voyaged along the south shore to the Gaspé Peninsula. Exhibiting the principles of rhythm and design she had learned from Hortense Gordon earlier that year, St. Tite des Caps is a lively and harmonious rendering of Quebec farmland. The rhythmic, loose forms of the crop lines are well balanced by the solid structures and foreshortened fence. A novel yet restrained palette reveals the distinctive character of McCarthy’s early artistic voice. Works from the artist’s formative period are extremely rare, and this charming sketch is a gem.

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