In Henri Masson’s Road to Montpelier, a myriad of bright colors flows throughout a charming snow-filled wintery scene. Rivers of blues and white guide the winding road from the foreground to the rolling Laurentian foothills. Fences line the road on one side, while on the other, a cluster of evergreens and trees still wearing their autumn leaves adds bold colour. Their orange, yellow, and red palette amplifies the nearby whites and blues and complements the sky’s bold brushstrokes of blue, grey, and soft pink. A small rural village sits along the road, lending a human touch to the landscape. Below the sky, the plum slopes of the hills rise to a higher ridge in blue and violet, the colour shift between the two mountains creating a sense of changing light across the land. This mix of early winter snow and lingering autumn leaves adds warmth to the wintery whites, giving the whole painting a sense of seasonal transition.

Henri Masson was born in 1907 in Spy, Belgium, and emigrated to Canada in 1921, settling in Ottawa. He apprenticed in a metal-engraving shop and became a master engraver by the age of twenty-five, a profession he maintained until 1945. Although he studied at the Ottawa Art Association, many sources describe him as “largely self-taught,” developing his style through a personal and intuitive engagement with his materials. His exposure to the Group of Seven’s paintings at the National Gallery of Canada played an important role in shaping his early artistic outlook. Yet rather than imitating their approach, Masson absorbed their influence and transformed it into a distinctly individual style marked by luminous colour, rhythmic brushwork, and an intimate sense of place. By the early 1930s, he was active within the Ottawa-based group Les Confrères artistes Le Caveau, where he both exhibited and taught, forming connections with artists such as Wilfrid Flood, Tom Wood, and later Jean-Philippe Dallaire.

Masson became known for his vivid depictions of Quebec landscapes, small-town life, and everyday Canadian scenes—from rural villages and working-class neighbourhoods to snow-covered roads and lively town streets. He exhibited widely, both nationally and internationally, and after 1945 devoted himself entirely to painting. He also taught at institutions including Queen’s University and the Banff School of Fine Arts, sharing his sensibilities with younger artists across the country. Critics and historians have described Masson as both a “chronicler and a landscapist,” admired for his energetic brushwork, vibrant colour, and his ability to capture the spirit and movement of daily life with warmth and a quiet, poetic resonance.