North Shore of the St. Lawrence [Rive nord du Saint-Laurent]

Look closely. Can you make out the rocky reflections in the smooth water beneath the undulating clouds? Caught between dynamic movement and a sense of calm stillness, artist George Pepper captures a scene from the north shore of the St. Lawrence in the gathering dark. Born in Ottawa in 1903, Pepper studied under J.E.H. MacDonald at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto before completing his studies in Paris. Drawn to the Canadian landscape, Pepper, who would later become a founding member of the Canadian Group of Painters, was greatly influenced by the Group of Seven's Post-Impressionistic techniques of bold colors, flat planes, and heavy outlines.