Landscape, circa 1890-1892, circa 1890

Dominion Gallery, Montreal, 1975 René Turgeon, Les galeries St. Laurent, Ottawa, 1976 Private Collection, Ottawa Private Collection, Calgary, 1987 Hodgins, auction, Calgary, 24 November 1997, lot 105 Private Collection, Calgary Hodgins, auction, Calgary, 26 November 2002, lot 357B Private Collection, Calgary

Born in Montreal, James Wilson Morrice was one of Canada’s leading modernist painters. Though the artist studied law in Toronto and was called to the Ontario bar in 1889, Morrice was already working as a professional artist. In 1890, he moved to London to study painting and eventually settled in Paris in 1891 to study at the Académie Julian. In Paris, he was drawn into the Anglo-American artist circle that had formed around the American artist James McNeill Whistler. It was through these circles that he was introduced to painting locales across France. This charming landscape painting was completed during these early years in Europe. It is set in the countryside, with cows and a figure in a blue shirt, on a cloudy day in summer. His work embodies the trademark attributes of Impressionist painting: the preoccupation with light and colour. We extend our thanks to Lucie Dorais, Canadian art historian and author of “J.W. Morrice” (1985), for assisting with researching this artwork.