A.K. Prakash, “Impressionism in Canada: A Journey of Rediscovery”, Stuttgart, 2015, page 621
Born in St. John's, Newfoundland, Robert Pilot moved to Montreal soon after his widowed mother married artist Maurice Cullen in 1910, a fellow Newfoundlander. Pilot became captivated with the studio and work of his stepfather, becoming the young apprentice to the famed artist. Training as an artist in the evenings and frequently accompanying Cullen on sketching trips, Pilot's abilities began to flourish. The sixteen year-old artist's work was included in the annual spring show of the Art Association of Montreal and a year later, Pilot's one-person show at the Johnson Art Galleries in Montreal was a complete sell-out.
The artist often made sketching trips to the Laurentians, Baie St. Paul country, rural Quebec, the Maritimes, and to Newfoundland, capturing the villages and inhabited towns of these areas with their distinct appearances and charm. One of the many parallels shared between Robert Pilot and Maurice Cullen was their periodic return to the province, depicting the villages and people who shared their heritage.
