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Clarence Gagnon received his
artistic training at the Art Association of Montreal under
William Brymner from 1897-1900. In 1903, the generosity
of, art patron, James Morgan allowed him to go to Paris
and study in the studio of painter Jean-Paul Laurens.
Gagnon distinguished himself early in his career by the
quality of his engravings, and won a gold medal at the St
Louis Exhibition in 1904 and an honourable mention the
following year at the Salon des Artistes Français in
Paris. Returning to Canada 1909, he divided his time
between Montréal and Baie-St-Paul. He became a member of
the Royal Society of Canada and later he was elected
associate of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. He felt
compelled to return to France in 1917 and while in Paris,
continued to paint canvases based on his earlier sketches
of Quebec villages. He returned to Canada to marry two
years later, remaining until 1924. During this period, he
sketched with A.Y. Jackson and Edwin Holgate at Baie Ste
Paul. He received the Trevor Prize of the Salmagundi Club
of New York.. He illustrated Le Grand Silence Blanc (1929)
and the deluxe edition of Louis Hémon's Maria Chapdelaine
(1933). Upon his return from a second stay in France from
1922-36, the University de Montréal awarded him an
honorary doctorate. |
