Born in 1881 in a small village north of Montreal, Clarence Gagnon is best known for his paintings of sun-drenched winter landscapes and for the colorful illustrations for Louis Hémon's novel, Maria Chapdelaine.

Clarence Gagnon: An Introduction to His Life and Art is a richly illustrated, insightful look at a complex individual.

Despite living in France for much of his adult life, Gagnon's love for his native Quebec is evident in his art. His simple, realistic style of painting captures the old traditions and peaceful rural splendor of Quebec's Laurentian Mountains and Charlevoix region at the end of the 19th century.

The book traces Gagnon's early life and influences, examining his career as an illustrator and his development as an artist. Included here are excerpts from Gagnon's personal letters, which reveal his astute observations of life, art and politics.

Liberally illustrated with Gagnon's sublimely executed paintings -- many never before published together in one volume -- Clarence Gagnon is a superb tribute to an international artist who always remained passionate about his simple origins.

Anne Newlands worked for twenty-seven years as an educator and researcher-writer at the National Gallery of Canada. She is the author of numerous books including Canadian Paintings, Prints and Drawings, Canadian Art: From Its Beginnings to 2000, Clarence Gagnon: An Introduction to His Life and Art, Emily Carr: An Introduction to Her Life and Art, and The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson: An Introduction. She is currently writing a book about the Quebec textile artist Mariette Rousseau-Vermette (1926-2006).

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This handsome little catalogue offers up a delightful pot-pourri of the works of Clarence Gagnon.

Art Times

A valuable resource for art history classes.

Resource Links

Easy-to-read... well illustrated.

Hamilton Spectator

Visually, this book is a treat. Gagnon, who was very particular about how his artwork was presented in publications, would have been delighted with the fine colour reproductions here. The images are laid out on the pages with ample white space around them so that we can appreciate the brilliant colour and textured brushwork of his painting. Black and white photographs are also interspersed throughout the book to document the important places, events, and people in Gagnon's life. In conclusion, Clarence Gagnon: An Introduction to His Life and Art is an ideal way to begin an acquaintance with a much-admired and influential figure in early twentieth-century Canadian art. Highly Recommended.

Canadian Materials

Visually, this book is a treat... fine color reproductions.... an ideal way to begin an acquaintance with a much-admired and influential figure in early twentieth-century Canadian art. Highly Recommended.

CM Magazine

Substantive [and] succinct ... full of delightful paintings that celebrate eastern Quebec's "rural architecture and rural traditions." [Gagnon's] illustrations for the Canadian novel Maria Chapdelaine ... are brilliant.

Artsforum