St. Tite des Caps, 1937

Jim A. Hennok, Toronto Private Collection, Toronto

“Exhibition of Paintings by the Late Sir Frederick Banting”, Hart House, University of Toronto, 13 February-1 March 1943 “Banting & Jackson: An Artistic Brotherhood”, London Regional Art & Historical Museums; travelling to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, London, Ontario, 28 May-4 August 1997, no. 17

A.Y. Jackson, “Banting as an Artist”, The Ryerson Press, Toronto 1943, reproduced page 28 Joyner Fine Art, auction catalogue, May 18, 1993, lot 90, for the canvas related to this artwork ("Quebec Farms, St. Tete Du Caps[sic]") Sotheby’s Canada, auction catalogue, November 27, 1996, lot 75, for the canvas related to this artwork ("Quebec Farms, St. Tite Des Caps") D.B.G. Fair, "Banting & Jackson, An Artistic Brotherhood", London, Ontario, 1997, reproduced page 19 (plate 1) as "Ste. Irenée", 1931

Sir Frederick Grant Banting was a scientist whose joint discovery of the therapeutic properties of insulin with John MacLeod won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923. In the years following this historic discovery, Banting developed an interest in painting. After joining the Toronto Arts and Letters Club, Banting met and befriended members of the Group of Seven, including A.Y. Jackson, who became a frequent travelling and sketching companion. The two friends were known to visit Quebec and the far northern reaches of Canada on sketching trips. Jackson and Banting had made many trips to St. Tite des Caps, located in the south-western corner of Quebec along the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Dated 1937, the oil on board "St. Tite des Caps" was created on the artist’s final trip to the area. Four year later Banting tragically died in a plane crash while on his way to test the Franks flying suit, a flight suit designed to mitigate the effects of G-force on pilots during high levels of acceleration. Banting was greatly respected by Jackson, who commented publicly that the doctor showed a great deal of promise as an artist. For his part, Banting confided in Jackson that he wished to retire from the medical field when he turned 50 and dedicate his life to painting. At the time of his death, Banting was one of the best known Canadian amateur painters.