PROVENANCE
Edwin Holgate, Morin Heights, Quebec
Galerie Walter Klinkhoff Inc., Montreal
S. Walter Stewart, Toronto
A.K. Prakash & Associates Inc., Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto

LITERATURE
A.Y. Jackson, A Painter’s Country: The Autobiography of A.Y. Jackson, 1958, page 135

The area in and around Baie-Saint-Paul was a frequent painting location for A.Y. Jackson. From the 1920s through to the 1940s the artist would make sketching trips there nearly every winter, attracted by the unique landscape and small towns that dotted Charlevoix. Jackson first painted there in 1923, and he was joined that March by fellow Beaver Hall Group founder and future Group of Seven member Edwin Holgate, who at one time owned this work.

Here, the village of St. Urbain sits covered in deep, flowing snowdrifts. A looping fence trudges across the foreground of the image, emphasizing the depth of the snowy field. In the distance, the rolling Laurentian landscape can be seen under a softly striated sky. The scene is characterized by the deep purples and glints of a late-afternoon light, but the image is punctuated by a few surprising colours: red flares in a coat on a figure on the left and a sled in the centre, windows in the foremost house are rendered in a vivid blue, and streaks of yellow highlight the side wall and firewood pile. An early Group period work, St. Urbain is emblematic of the charm of the area that Jackson would find so appealing throughout his career.

Edwin Holgate and Jackson often painted together, and Holgate’s ownership of this painting speaks volumes about its significance. The fact that it was cherished by one of Canada’s most respected artists serves as a testament to the painting’s exceptional quality.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars