Village on the St. Lawrence River

Private Collection, Montreal By descent to the present Private Collection, Ontario

Robert Ayre, “Gentlemen and Ladies!”, The Montreal Star, April 25, 1964 Evelyn Walters, The Women of Beaver Hall: Canadian Modernist Painters, Toronto, 2005, page 23

The Beaver Hall group of modernist painters had a distinctive style rooted in the life and culture of Montreal and Quebec. As a member of the group, Collyer expressed her love of the St. Lawrence landscape in her dynamic works. Growing up in Montreal with English Protestant parents, the artist was imbued with a strong sense of community and gravitated towards depicting landscapes of villages and tokens of rural communities. Rich in jewel tones, “Village on the St. Lawrence River” incorporates all of the artists favourite subjects in this charming composition. A snug village tucked into the hills of the St. Lawrence, a church at the centre of the community, and a boat travelling down the river in the background. All of these elements and references to community life are executed with bold colour and rhythmic form. The eye moves fluidly over the composition, seamlessly moving from each element and inciting a feeling of smooth calm whilst overlooking the vista.