Laurentian Village 1925

Here's Clarence Gagnon's rendering of Laurentian Village, most likely done with pastels or coloured chalks. I can almost feel the powdery give of the material as it hits the surface of the paper. Look at the way the artist has built up the textures, how the strokes run parallel to each other, as if following the curves of a form. I imagine Gagnon standing there, maybe shivering a little, making marks and adding layer upon layer of colour, working quickly, trying to capture the light before it changes. The snow is not just white, but alive with yellows and blues. The houses are a warm, inviting gold under their caps of snow, nestled together and topped off with the spire of a church. What a lovely place! This feels of a piece with other artists that were using the stuff of painting to convey their lived experience. He's in conversation with other painters across time, isn't he? Showing us, in his way, how to see the world anew.