A Silent Stream of the North 1921

Editor: Clarence Gagnon’s "A Silent Stream of the North," created in 1921 using watercolor in a plein-air technique, captures a landscape bathed in the cool hues of winter. The striking contrast between the dark, towering trees and the snow-covered mountain evokes a sense of stillness and awe. What do you find most captivating about this piece? Curator: What captivates *me*, and might hopefully entice others, is how Gagnon pulls you into this quiet drama. Look how the moon, barely peeking over the mountain, casts a ghostly light, almost a wink. You feel like you're holding your breath in that pre-dawn moment. It’s interesting how he doesn’t try to paint *realism*; instead, he gives us this dreamy, almost stage-like scene with these starkly contrasting blues and whites. Does it make you think of a theatre set? Editor: It really does! I never thought of it that way, but the composition, with its clear foreground, middle ground, and background, almost feels deliberately arranged. But the colors still feel…natural? Curator: Nature interpreted through feeling, not photographically reproduced! Think about how uncommon watercolor was, how *challenging*. To be outdoors, *en plein air*, battling the elements, trying to capture this fleeting mood…Gagnon wasn't just painting a scene, but also the *experience* of being in that scene. And for him, perhaps Canada represented something about the artist in his soul... something he needed to get out... What do *you* take away from it, after that bit of wandering in the dark with me? Editor: I see how Gagnon used the landscape to show what he was feeling inside; it makes the scene seem so much more personal. Thank you! Curator: Absolutely. Every landscape is, in some ways, a self-portrait, don't you think? Thanks for lending me your ear.