William Brymner

William Brymner was one of the first Canadian artists to study in Paris and have a wide influence in Canada. He taught young painters at the Art Association of Montreal and had a far-reaching influence on many of them. Brymner painted and taught with an awareness and openness to various schools of painting, and in many ways he serves as a bridge between the styles of French academic painting, the Barbizon school, and the newer techniques of Impressionism. He believed in painting his subjects directly from close observation of nature, and in this landscape we see his interest in the effects of sunlight. An important member of the Canadian Art Club, Brymner brought to Canadian subjects a more modern approach that helped bring the country's art production away from the tonal approach most influenced by the Hague school influence.