The Painter's Young Wife, Baie-Saint-Paul 1919

Clarence Gagnon painted his young wife, in Baie-Saint-Paul, with oils probably applied alla prima. The colours have this kind of fauvist leaning, they push beyond naturalism in pursuit of something more emotional. There’s a real contrast between the rough, almost violent brushwork in the mountain backdrop, and the smooth, gentle rendering of the figure in the foreground. See how the mountain seems to loom, a dark, almost oppressive mass made of short, stabbing strokes of indigo and violet. Then, drop your eyes to the woman. Her dress is a symphony of pinks and whites, soft and inviting. It is all very tactile. This juxtaposition isn’t accidental. It is what gives the work its tension. It makes me think of someone like Vuillard, who painted these quiet domestic scenes but, like, charged them with psychological intensity. It reminds us that art doesn’t have to be one thing; it can hold contradictions, and still be beautiful.