La chasse au Canard

The year 1894 marked the return of Suzor-Coté after his first stay in France. The young artist returned crowned successfully, one of his works having been accepted for the exhibition at the Salon de la Société des artistes français. Determined to launch his career in Canada, he opened two workshops: one at Square Dominion in Montreal and the other in Arthabaska, behind the family home. The newspaper L’Union des Cantons-de-l’Est reports that these workshops are entirely modeled on French workshops. In addition to serving as work spaces, they became popular meeting places for the bourgeoisie of the time. Among the notable visitors to Suzor-Coté was Wilfrid Laurier.

From 1895 to 1897, Suzor-Coté submitted several works to the Spring Exhibition of the Art Association of Montreal as well as to the annual exhibitions of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. In 1896, he presented The banks of the Nicolet river, a landscape which marked the beginning of his interest in this genre. Critics were then very favorable towards the young painter. Louis Fréchette, from the newspaper La Presse, compares his landscapes to those of his master, Henri Harpignies. Indeed, Suzor-Coté's technique is distinguished by the application of a colored undercoat with movement and thickness, contrasting with the more traditional smooth and uniform surfaces.

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