In our previous blog on Toronto Art, we discussed how well the city is represented at Rookleys Canadian Art. The same can be said about Canada’s second largest city, Montreal, Quebec. It never ceases to delight us when visitors from Quebec come into our gallery and are shocked by how much Montreal art we have for sale.
The pieces in our Montreal collection spotlight the city’s most well known destinations. They take viewers on a visual journey of Montreal and its many transformations.
This rustic etching by Herbert Raine really offers a looking glass into the past. An architect by trade, Raine perfectly captures the essence of Montreal circa 1918 when horse drawn carriages lined the streets. Raine was well known for his broad range of etchings of popular buildings and lively street scenes from Quebec and more specifically Montreal, where he immigrated in 1907.
Located along the shores of the St. Lawrence river, Montreal's port connects Canada to the rest of the world and has been a bustling hub for immigration and trade, ever since the earliest years of our country.
Marc Aurele-Fortin captured the essence of this activity with Port of Montreal, painted circa 1930. His use of dark grey and black emphasizes the industrialization of the time period and the contrast between man-made machinery and free-flowing nature. Through this depiction, Fortin provides a snapshot of Montreal’s industrial age, celebrating its economic vitality and the energy of its working-class culture.
From its bustling ports to some of its poorest neighorhoods, Montreal is represented on multiple spectrums in our collection, as seen in this 1948 piece Meurling Refuge, Montreal by Lorne Bouchard. This gritty scene depicts sulking figures, many of them undoubtedly recently returned war veterans, lined up outside of a dilapidated building, presumably waiting on their next warm meal. This somber work is a stark contrast to some of our other portrayals of Montreal that depict a brighter and more cheerful city.
Another painter who loved to capture Montreal, its everyday citizens and vibrant neighborhoods, was Jack Beder. Beder painted extensively all over the city of Montreal, managing to capture its energy in his work. Each of his pieces conveys a unique sense of time and place, from humble family homes to Montreal’s wealthiest communities such as the one seen in 1969's Along the Park, Westmount .
Jack Beder, Along the Park, Westmount, 1969
Rookleys is very proud to represent the estate of Jack Beder. We have been working hard over the last several months to produce a book on his life and will soon have an exhibition of his work at the gallery.
Rose Wiselberg, Old Montreal, 1953
It is only fitting that accompanying our Jack Beder works we showcase the work of his good friend, Rose Wiselberg, another artist who loved capturing the charming streets of Montreal. In her piece, titled Old Montreal, Wiselberg uses loose brushstrokes and a soft pastel palette to enhance the charm of this part of the city. The piece evokes a dreamlike quality, highlighting the timeless beauty of this historic location.
So many of the artists in our collection were captivated by Montreal but there is no artist who is considered more iconically Montreal than recently deceased artist, John Little. He spent seven decades documenting the city in all its glory, in varying seasons and settings. His piece McTavish Street, produced in 1955 is a beautiful example of his ability to capture the essence of Montreal and its distinct quality. The piece showcases the city in autumn, but Little was most known for his depictions of Montreal in the winter.
The majority of his body of work are snowy street scenes that capture Montreal’s bitter winter and frigid temperatures. He managed to portray the quiet beauty of the city during what are typically considered dark, dreary days. With just a few brushstrokes he transports the figures in this piece to a different decade, subtly chronicling the evolution of the city over the many decades.
Urban paintings aren’t always filled with the hustle of people and activity. One of the joys of living in a big city is discovering areas of peace and quiet. Armand Tatossian presents one such location in Saint-Henri, Montreal produced circa 1980. This painting depicts an intimate moment between two friends walking shoulder to shoulder in the snowy back alleys of Montreal.
The bold, thick brushstrokes and rich impasto technique give the painting a textured, almost three-dimensional quality, enhancing the depth and vibrancy of the scene. Tatossian’s work often celebrated the everyday beauty of Montreal’s urban life which inspired him, just like it did so many other artists that came before and after.
If you’re looking for Montreal artwork for your home or business, you don’t have to go into that city to find it. At Rookleys, we pride ourselves on having an extensive collection of historic Canadian art. We couldn’t stake a claim to that if we didn’t properly represent Montreal.