Springtime, Charlevoix (c. 1930) illustrates the enduring connection between A.Y. Jackson (1882–1974), a founding member of the celebrated Group of Seven, and the Quebec landscape. This work is a testament to the artist’s special relationship with the Charlevoix region, which became a major source of inspiration for his pictorial explorations.

Historical and Artistic Context

Of all the members of the Group of Seven, A.Y. Jackson is undoubtedly the one who traveled and painted the most in Quebec. As he wrote in his autobiography: “I do not know how many Quebec canvases I have painted. I have worked in villages on the north shore and the south shore of the St. Lawrence. In thirty years, I have only missed one season, the year I taught at the Ontario College of Art.”

During his time in Quebec, Jackson was drawn to motifs typically associated with the regionalist school. He notably illustrated the work Chez Nous by Adjutor Rivard (1868-1945), a publication that defined the regionalist imagination of the era. According to François-Marc Gagnon, this period reveals a specific dynamic: “The author’s thesis is that both the Québec regionalists (Clarence A. Gagnon above all) and A. Y. Jackson concurred in a touristic view of Québec. Their common enthusiasm for the Charlevoix region, to which Jackson succeeded in attracting Arthur Lismer, could be compared to Gauguin’s enthusiasm for Pont Aven. Both shared what D. MacCannell has called a ‘modernistic fascination for the premodern’.”

Artistic Analysis

This canvas captures the light and textures characteristic of springtime in Charlevoix with remarkable precision. Through his direct style, Jackson transforms these landscapes into compositions that reflect both a rigorous observation of the terrain and a modern interpretation, true to his artistic signature.

Source: Gagnon, F.-M. (1994). A. Y. Jackson, régionaliste québécois? RACAR : Revue d'art canadienne / Canadian Art Review, 21(1-2), 60–70.

Reference publication: Chez nous by Adjutor Rivard

Authentified by J. R. Hugues on verso 

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