Dr. M.J. Boylen
By descent to a Private Collection
Joyner Fine Art, auction, Toronto, May 29th, 2001, lot 43
Private Collection, USA
Literature
Dennis Reid, Krieghoff, Images of Canada, Toronto, 1999, pages 232-33
Cornelius Krieghoff’s precise rendering in “Indian Encampment by a River, Autumn”, is evidence of his artistic training in Dutch and German genre painting. Krieghoff’s choice of subject matter, one he would expand upon in future paintings, is a conscious decision to portray the human condition. Many of Krieghoff’s contemporaries focused on historical, religious and formal portrait subject matter, while Krieghoff focused on recording the life of Native Americans, showing admiration for a way of life untouched by civilization.
“Indian Encampment by a River, Autumn”, presents a richly detailed autumnal landscape with a river rushing through. A group of figures has gathered around a campfire, with a pot suspended on a thin stick above the fire. There is a wigwam just behind the figures, while a birchbark canoe is moored by the river in the background. A child stares in awe at the central figures who appear to be dancing, and a little papoose snuggled in a cradleboard is leaning against a tree at the very left of the composition.
Krieghoff has not only created a detailed record of the colours and design of the dress of the figures, and the intricacy of the basketry and Hudson’s Bay blanket, but also of the natural surroundings. He has closely observed the plants, shrubs, rocks and trees of the forest to create a botanical record of the region. As Dennis Reid notes, “His image of the Indian conveyed a harmonious vitality, communicated with verve in the purposeful activity of the people against, for instance, the rich colours of his autumn scenes.” Reid conveys that Krieghoff felt a strong affinity for the Native People and their way of life, wishing to penetrate and articulate this world that he found irresistible. In these early Longueuil and Montreal period paintings, Krieghoff focused on the richness of the landscape, a palette of brilliant colours and heightened details, capturing his perception of Canada.
