PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Toronto
Sold sale of Canadian Art, Joyner / Waddington's, May 29, 2007, lot 77
Masters Gallery Ltd., Calgary
Private Collection, Vancouver

BIBLIOGRAPHIE
A.Y. Jackson, A Painter’s Country: The Autobiography of A.Y. Jackson, 1958, page 15

In 1949, the year he painted this large and impressive studio canvas, A.Y. Jackson was still based in the legendary Studio Building, on Severn Street in Toronto. It had been the home that he had returned to after his many sketching trips for decades – it was comfortable and centrally located. The late 1940s was a time when Jackson was enjoying the fame he had garnered as a Group of Seven member, and a few years later, in 1953, a major retrospective of his work took place at the Art Gallery of Toronto. This was a tribute Jackson found gratifying, and it put him back into the national spotlight. However, a change was coming to the circumstances of Jackson’s life because, in 1948, his fellow Group member Lawren Harris had sold the Studio Building, and the new owner did not make him feel welcome. As a result, Jackson began to develop new “painter’s trails” in the Gatineau area, and he planned to build a home and studio in Manotick.

Ste-Cecile de Masham, Quebec is a quintessential Jackson image. Situated in the Outaouais region (which includes the town of Gatineau) northwest of Ottawa, Sainte-Cécile-de-Masham is a peaceful rural village with the kind of comfortable, unpretentious buildings casually scattered across the bumps and hollows of the landscape that Jackson loved to paint. The rugged log supports on the stream banks for the bridge and the simple snake fences emerging from the snow record the natural, hand-built nature of the village structures. The inclusion of the horse and sleigh is an iconic element in Jackson’s work, particularly interesting in this case as it is about to glide across the small bridge. Falling snow adds a dreamy atmosphere to the wintery scene.

Jackson’s awareness of colour and light had been influenced early in his career in Montreal by French Impressionism, at first in the work of Canadian painters espousing the new movement. “It was through [Maurice] Cullen and [James Wilson] Morrice that we in Montreal first became aware of the fresh and invigorating movements going on in the art circles of France; and it was their influence that weakened the respect of the younger generations for the stuffy traditions that prevailed in that city,” he explained. In 1905, Jackson took his first trip to Paris, returning to that vital centre of art on a number of trips up until 1912. He sketched in the city and around the French countryside, employing the practices of the Impressionists by painting en plein air and using light-filled hues. On returning to Canada, Jackson shared his knowledge with his fellow artists, including Tom Thomson. He thus contributed to a new vision of the landscape that cleared away the slavish following of old European traditions and created a new freedom and awareness of Canadian identity, rooted in the vitality of the land.

Decades later, in this work Jackson’s colour palette still shows his absorption of Impressionism. The refreshing teal green of the far right house, echoed in related tones in the river, is the most dominant hue. As well, on close examination of this painting, we see that the scene is infused with the many pastel shades that Jackson perceived and heightened for effect. Particularly luscious are the milky green, pink and mauve tints in the snow, and the plum in the sky. Ste-Cecile de Masham, Quebec embodies Jackson’s mastery of his palette, his skilful composition, and, most importantly, his deep understanding of and empathy for the unique character of Quebec’s rural communities.

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