Clarence Alphonse Gagnon French Canadian 1881-1942 Ten figure studies with male and female nudes conte crayon on paper From the Estate of the artist with Atelier Gagnon stamp on each. From Ask Art: Painter, illustrator, and etcher, Clarence Alphonse Gagnon is credited as being one of the major figures in the development of Canadian modern art. His paintings are known for their strong color, luminous* qualities and styles incorporating Realism* and Impressionism*. He also spent much of his career in France, and throughout his productive painting life was back and forth between the two countries. Gagnon was born in Montreal, Canada, November 8, 1881. He studied at the Art Association of Montreal, beginning when he was age 16, with William Brymner from 1897-1900. From Brymner he learned about sketching and drawing directly from nature. In 1904, Gagnon went to Paris where he set up a permanent studio for several years and studied briefly at the Academie Julian* with Jean-Paul Laurens. This European venture was financed by James Morgan, a Montreal art collector and businessman and led to Gagnon's being much influenced by French Impressionism and abandoning earth tones for brighter colors. Back in Canada in 1909, he lived near Montreal in Baie-Saint-Paul, which, in the Charlevois region, became one of his favorite painting locations. Until the train connected to the area in 1919, it was a traditional French-Canadian rural place, unspoiled by industrialism. He became an associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts* in 1910 and a full member in 1922. From 1911 to 1914 he was variously in Canada, France and Norway, working from sketches begun in Quebec. His subjects included French-Canadian life and anecdotal scenes such as Horse Racing in Winter, Quebec, c. 1927. He abandoned etching* for landscape painting, and in addition to scenes of Quebec did village scenes and landscapes in France. In 1913, he exhibited scenes of Canada at the Galerie Reitlinger in Paris. Gagnon lived in Paris from 1924 to 1936, where he illustrated Louis Hemon's story of Canadian frontier life, Marie Chapdelaine, and L. F. Pouquette's Le Grand Silence Blanc with colored wood block prints. To protect against forgeries, he placed his thumbprint on the back of his canvases. He ground his own paints, making paintings simple in design, with brilliant color. In 1936, Clarence Gagnon stopped painting, and then devoted himself to the establishment of Ile d'Orléans, a national historical park inspired by ones he had seen in Scandinavia. 11"H x 14"W (each)