Literature
John Irvine Little, “Fashioning the Canadian Landscape: Essays on Travel Writing, Tourism and National Identity in the Pre-Automobile Era”, Toronto, 2018, pages 110, 121
Dennis Reid, “Krieghoff Images of Canada”, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1999, pages 75-76
David Burnett, “Masterpieces of Canadian Art from the National Gallery of Canada”, Alberta, 1990, pages 26
J. Russell Harper, “Krieghoff”, Toronto, 1979, pages 112-13, listed page 194 as “Lake Memphremagag – Owl’s Head – Autumn (4) 1859-61”
Marius Barbeau, “Cornelius Krieghoff”, Toronto, 1948, pages 14-16
Marius Barbeau, “Cornelius Krieghoff: Pioneer Painter of North America”, Toronto, 1934, pages 76-77 and 121, listed page 121 as “The Owl’s Head”
The Gazette, Montreal, January 1931, reproduced in colour for calendar
During the late 1850s to the early 1860s, Cornelius Krieghoff travelled extensively throughout Quebec - from the Ottawa River, to the Saint-Maurice River, to Shawinigan Falls, to the Eastern Townships. It was during this period that he achieved great success as an artist, with a prolific output of canvases and keenly pursued of buyers. Krieghoff understood his audience’s tastes and was versatile in his themes. As David Burnett remarks, “Krieghoff’s years in Quebec were not only the height of his success but were also the time when he produced his finest work.”
A natural explorer, Krieghoff was bound to wander far afield and seek new adventures into the unknown. After finding inspiration at Montmorency and Lorette in Quebec, he began to explore the rivers, waterfalls and lakes around Quebec, specifically the Eastern Townships. The Eastern Townships of Quebec drew visitors in the late nineteenth century due to the area’s romantic sensibility. The main tourist attraction for tourists was its lakes, described in one promotional tourist publication in 1860 as “its great glory.” Favoured spots included Lake Magog and Lake Memphremagog, which were marketed as an unspoiled sublime wilderness to visit, not only for the fashionable resort hotels but as a destination for sport fishing and hunting.
In order to reach Lake Memphremagog, Krieghoff would have taken a train to Sherbrooke, boarded a stagecoach to Magog Outlet, and then climbed aboard a steamer called the “Mountain Maid”. This steamer delivered visitors to the “Mountain House”, a resort hotel at the foot of Owl’s Head Mountain on Lake Memphremagog. It was a charming hotel in the midst of the wilderness. As J.L. Little remarks in “Fashioning the Canadian Landscape”, “The scenic Lake Memphremagog... The 43.5 kilometre-long lake, with depths to 208 metres, has several mountains on its western shore, the highest of which are Owl’s Head.”
Krieghoff would have been attracted to the shores of this lake for the idyllic scenery it presented for him to paint, as well as its popularity as a tourist destination. He executed three paintings of the captivating landscape he encountered at Lake Memphremagog according to Marius Barbeau, one of which is part of the collection of the National Gallery of Canada (NGC; “Owl’s Head and Skinner’s Cove, Lake Memphremagog”, executed in 1859. “This painting by the first well known artist to visit Lake Memphremagog after Bartlett (W.H.Bartlett, engraver) is somewhat unique in that it portrays a storm-tossed lake and dark brooding Owl’s Head.,” states Little. “It is also rather unique insofar as Krieghoff’s landscape paintings are generally characterized by their colourful portrayals of habitant life.”
“Skinner’s Cave and Owl’s Head Mountain, Lake Memphremagog”, dated 1861, shares the rugged grandeur of “Owl’s Head and Skinner’s Cove, Lake Memphremagog” (NGC), depicting the magnificent height of the mountain, the rugged waters and the broad base of the mountain dipping into the water below. Krieghoff used broad sweeps of light and shadow in these two works, injecting movement and high romanticism. A storm is brewing in the distance, while the wind sweeps through the trees and across the lake, hastening the men in the boat to hurry on their way. Thunder and lightning lash at the air, clouds swirl at the peak of the majestic Owl’s Head, and the Orford Mountains can be spotted in the distance enveloped by a hopeful pink horizon. With Krieghoff’s brilliant use of expressive light and nuanced, descriptive detail, he has captured a sense of sublime excitement. The artist has also conveyed the impression of great scale, with the majesty of the mountain and brewing storm depicted in stark contrast to the struggle of the two men in the rowboat.
In the lower left corner of the composition, below the striking autumnal coloured trees, is the opening to Skinner’s Cave. The inclusion of this detail by Krieghoff perhaps alludes to his knowledge of the mystery behind the name of the cave, and the story of a smuggler who went missing in The War of 1812. In 1866, “The Canadian Handbook and Tourist Guide” described this picturesque region, as well as the intriguing story behind the namesake of the cave:
“The ‘Owl’s Head’ with its conical outline gives an Alpine character on the scene. This mountain is worthy of an ascent… It’s height is 2500 feet above the lake…, which is spread out beneath, forming a grand panorama. Near ‘Owl’s Head’ are several islands…one of them, Skinner’s Island, on the eastern shore opposite the mountain. It took its name in 1812 from a celebrated smuggler who, being the object of continual pursuit, always disappeared at this point. The customs officers, after a long chase one day, discovered his empty skiff concealed on its rocky shore, but nowhere could they find Skinner. The boat was cut adrift, and the smuggler was heard of no more.
Ten years later a fisherman, surprised by a squall, sought refuge on the island. As he coasted along the shore, he arrived at its northern point and there noticed in the entangled foliage a large fissure in the rock. Mooring his boat he entered it; it was a cave teen feet high extending thirty feet inwards. There he saw a skeleton, the remains of Skinner, who had found himself marooned after he lost his skiff. The place, since called Skinner’s Cave, is an object of curiosity, though it is difficult to access when the wind blows from the west.”
Dennis Reid observes: “This period (1856-c.1862) was Krieghoff’s most fruitful. The year of 1859 was a creative peak in his career. His “Owl’s Head, Lake Memphremagog” (NGC) dates from that year. Dramatic, rich in details, thoughtfully composed…technically superb.” The years preceding 1862 saw Krieghoff continue to explore the theme of autumn, imbuing his paintings with rich, intense colour, drawing the praise of critics. “The Quebec Telegraph” in 1862 remarked on Krieghoff’s work, stating that they, “are remarkable for fidelity which rivals the photograph and cannot be surpassed.”
Krieghoff brilliantly combined a dramatic vision with tightly observed detail in this painting. As the respected Marius Barbeau states, “Several of his best autumn landscapes bear the date of the following year – 1859, when he reached the second peak of his life’s achievement with no less than twenty-one dated pictures still on record. Outstanding among these are his ‘Owl’s Head’ mountain… In his splendid pictures of this mountain – of which there are three”.
“The Quebec period of Krieghoff, from 1853 to 1867, is by far his best and most prolific,” Barbeau professed. “The Owl’s Head raises its proud summit two thousand feet above Lake Memphremagog, grey clouds are gathering and the waves below dance wildly. In this splendid picture we find that Krieghoff is the precursor of our modern Canadian school of landscape. ‘The Owl’s Head’ (NGC) is very close in spirit to Jackson’s ‘Night, Pine Island’, Tom Thomson’s ‘West Wind’, Lismer’s ‘September Gale’ and Varley’s ‘Georgian Bay’.” These remarks from Barbeau not only mark the significance of “Skinner’s Cave and Owl’s Head Mountain, Lake Memphremagog” within Krieghoff’s most successful artistic period, but also highlights the rarity of the panoramic view presented in this canvas.
This painting was in the collection of the esteemed Leo Kolber, former senator, lawyer, businessman and philanthropist. Mr. Kolber called Montreal home, and was an important benefactor for the city, actively supporting the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, McGill University and the Jewish General Hospital, and for many years was the chief fundraiser for the Liberal Party of Canada.
Mr. Kolber studied law at McGill University, where he encountered Charles Bronfman, the two becoming close friends. It was through this connection that Mr. Kolber was hired by Sam Bronfman, head of the Bronfman business empire, to run CEMP Investments. Kolber was also an active participant on boards for numerous corporations, including the Cineplex Odeon Corporation, TD Bank and the Seagram Company. He established the Cadillac Fairview Corporation, one of North America’s largest real estate firms. In 1983, Mr. Kolber was named to the senate and served as the chairman to the Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce. Mr. Kolber retired from the Senate in 2004. A proud and generous supporter of many cultural and civic organizations in Montreal, Mr. Kolber was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2007.
