Misty Day in Winter, Baie-Saint-Paul 1915

Editor: Here we have Clarence Gagnon’s “Misty Day in Winter, Baie-Saint-Paul,” created in 1915 with oil paint. I’m immediately struck by how muted and serene it feels, despite the vibrancy of the blues and yellows. What’s your read on this, coming at it with an expert eye? Curator: Well, first off, what grabs me is that sky! Gagnon lays down the golden light so thickly; it almost feels like you could scoop it up. It’s as if he's trying to capture the *feeling* of winter light more than the reality of the scene. What do you make of the way he uses those vibrant blues in contrast? Editor: It makes the scene so crisp, doesn’t it? It feels cold, but somehow… inviting? I wouldn't necessarily expect to see bright yellows in a snowy landscape, but they seem to capture this hopeful warmth from sunlight filtering in the mist. Curator: Exactly! There's this tension between the chill and the suggestion of warmth, reflecting, I think, the way we experience memory. It's never a perfect, photographic representation. What about the visible brushstrokes? What feeling do they convey? Editor: An energy. There’s something raw about it. Not at all polished or trying to hide its own creation. Almost unfinished perhaps? Curator: Unfinished, perhaps. Or maybe truer. He gives us the essence of the place without getting bogged down in detail. Maybe it is the best any of us can do: to capture what we remember in an imperfect sort of way? Editor: So it's more than just a pretty landscape! It is like remembering something in a subjective way. Curator: It certainly got me thinking! Thank you!