In The First Snow, Terrebonne, 1948, Robert Wakeham Pilot, 1898–1967, depicts the quiet onset of winter along a riverbank, where broad sheets of pale ice drift slowly through dark, cold water in the foreground. Beyond the river, a gently rising embankment leads the eye to a cluster of historic buildings, their muted reds, greys, and creams softened by the season’s first snowfall. Leafless trees punctuate the scene, their fine branches etched delicately against a pale, overcast sky, while a prominent church with an elegant domed tower rises in the background with restrained architectural clarity. Subtle figures along a path add scale and a sense of human presence, reinforcing the calm, reflective mood of this transitional moment between autumn and winter.

Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland and later raised in Montreal, Pilot’s earliest artistic influence came from his stepfather, the noted Canadian Impressionist Maurice Cullen, in whose studio he assisted and sketched as a youth. He went on to study under William Brymner in Montreal and at the Académie Julian in Paris, absorbing European Impressionist influences and exhibiting at the Paris Salon in 1922. Though invited to participate in the first Group of Seven exhibition, Pilot chose not to formalize an association with that group, instead cultivating a personal style rooted in atmospheric sensitivity and his profound appreciation for Quebec’s urban and rural landscapes. He later shared his expertise as a teacher of engraving at the École des Beaux‑Arts in Montreal, contributing to the development of younger artists.

Pilot was elected an associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1925 and served as its president from 1952 to 1954, and his paintings are included in major Canadian public collections. His dedication to capturing the character of Québec’s towns, churches, and seasonal environments made him a key figure in Canadian Impressionism and a bridge between earlier landscape traditions and mid‑twentieth‑century art in Canada. This oil on canvas measures 21 x 28 inches and is signed and dated bottom right.