Patinore Pointe St. Charles, rue Grand Trunk

Walter Klinkhoff Gallery, Montreal Private Collection, Toronto

A Montreal native, John Little devoted his artistic practice to capture the charm and nostalgia of Montreal in his street scenes, preserving the city’s heritage. “Patinoire Pointe St. Charles, rue Grand Trunk” depicts a street in one of the city’s oldest sectors southwest of downtown, the historically working-class neighbourhood of Pointe St. Charles. The painting features children playing a pick-up game of street hockey, a quintessentially Canadian winter activity. Little had a professional history working in his father’s architectural firm, Luke and Little, as a draftsman from 1951-53. The skills learned working at the firm transferred into his artistic practice to accurately portray the city. During the 1960s and 1970s, Montreal and Quebec City were undergoing mass change with historic buildings being demolished for new constructions and industrial infrastructure as the city grew. Grand Trunk Street is named after the Grand Trunk Railway that once ran through the historic neighbourhood known as “the Point”, which has undergone significant transformation and gentrification in recent years. John Little’s street scenes serve as historical recollections of the city of Montreal.