Sold for: $17,550

PROVENANCE
A Prominent Private Collection, Moncton
Private Collection, Montreal

John Little had a keen interest in architecture, having worked as a draughtsman in his father’s architectural firm Luke & Little in 1951. When he returned exclusively to painting in 1953, it was to capture the unique ambiance of street scenes in Old Montreal and Quebec City. Architectural details of their distinctive buildings are a feature of his works, as is his interest in neighbourhoods and ethnic communities. Little felt the loss of historic areas keenly in the wake of changing urban planning and had a passion for preserving this uniqueness in his paintings. Little’s affection for the past is clearly seen in this nostalgic 1958 view of Rue St-Paul, the oldest street in Montreal, detailed with period cars and vintage signs. Little’s fluid painterly abilities are manifest in the clarity of the winter light and the delicacy of his handling of patterns in the snow, from the impressions of footprints beside the sidewalk to the texture of the cobblestones showing through on the street. Richly atmospheric, it is a classic work by Little.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars