Wolf Street, Montreal, circa 1918/20

Acquired directly from the artist by Dr. Gaston Maillet, Montreal Roger Maillet, Montreal Mlle Andrée Maillet, Montreal By descent to a Private Collection, Montreal Heffel Fine Art, auction, Vancouver, May 27, 2004, Lot 57 Canadian Corporate Collection, Ontario

A native of Sainte-Rose, Quebec, Marc-Aurèle Fortin studied Fine Art in Montreal under Ludger Larose and Edmond Dyonnet, as well as under Edward J. Timmons at the Art Institute of Chicago. There, he discovered the works of Jean-François Millet, Claude Monet and Mary Cassatt. Fortin returned to Montreal in 1914, working odd jobs and painting in his spare time. “Wolf Street, Montreal” was painted during these formative years in the artist’s career, and the composition illustrates the influence of European art that he would have studied and encountered in his travels. The empty street with only a few small cloaked figures recalls 19th century European street scenes of the Barbizon school and French Realists. Fortin’s muted pastel colour palette and separated brushstrokes in the paint application of the snow demonstrate an influence of early Impressionism. This rare early work allows the viewer to trace the evolution of the artist’s painterly style that is rooted in his academic training. Fortin’s oil painting provides an interesting glimpse into Montreal’s history, for these buildings on Wolfe Street no longer exist today. Located slightly east of downtown, the street served as the western border of the little-known neighbourhood that was demolished in the early 1960s to build the Radio-Canada office tower. Inhabited by a French-Canadian population working in the manufacturing industry, the area was nicknamed “Faubourg à m’lasse”, due to the supposed smell of barrels of molasses that were often being unloaded. The neighbourhood consisted of old houses and factories, characterized by the specific architecture and stone masonry that can be seen in Fortin’s work. La Societé Radio-Canada had been searching for a downtown location and it was concluded that this neighbourhood was better off being demolished than being revitalized. “Wolf Street, Montreal” serves as a souvenir of the city’s historic neighbourhoods that are all but forgotten today. This artwork was painted circa 1918-1920.