studio “J. W. Morrice” stamp verso; inscribed “St. #H115” verso
Provenance: F.R. Heaton Estate, Montreal, QC (estate stamp verso); The Art Emporium, Vancouver, BC; Masters Gallery, Calgary, AB (labels verso)
James Wilson Morrice painted this panel only a few years after leaving his Montreal studio to study art in Paris. Charenton-le-Pont is now found in the southeastern suburbs of the French capital. During Morrice’s time, it was a separate municipality located along the River Seine which served as the site for this nostalgic and dreamy rendering. Featuring a river boat floating placidly along the shoreline, with its muted light and tonal style, this loosely painted oil predates Morrice’s development into a livelier more colourful modernist (Post-impressionist). Nonetheless, in whatever manner he painted, Morrice was praised for his ability to evoke the character of a particular place and time. He later brought back to Canada a fresh approach and had an important impact on a generation of Canadian artists who followed him.
