Mattawa, 1913

Collection of William Colgate By descent to the present Private Collection, Ontario

In 1913, MacDonald had moved from his Quebec Avenue cottage in High Park to Thornhill, Ontario to a property called Four Elms. North of Toronto, the area offered a more rural locale to explore locally and provided access to northern parts of the province such as Algonquin Park and Mattawa. The latter region proved important for the artist's career and artistic development. In this same year, MacDonald journeyed with Lawren Harris to Mattawa on the Ottawa River and to the Laurentians taking extended painting trips. In the nineteenth century, Mattawa became a hub for the Canadian logging industry and with the establishment of railroads leading to the northern town, settlement of many French Canadian labourers and their families followed. Farming, hunting and agriculture helped support the town and continues to be the primary economic sources for the community. Executed in April 1913 on one of the artist's early trips to the northern region, “Mattawa” showcases the early settlement and local agricultural industry of the region. Painted during an overcast spring day, the grey haze evokes a heavy springtime atmosphere, perhaps just after a rain. The idyll of the grazing cow to the right of the composition further imbues a sense of calm as the day comes to a close on the picturesque farmstead.