Fleurimond Constantineau (1905–1981) Automne dans les Laurentides

Fleurimond Constantineau (1905–1981)
Title: ” Automne dans les Laurentides (1946) ”
Panel size: 8″ x 10″ ( 15 3/4″ x 17 7/8″ framed ) ………$1,450.00 Canadian

Provenance: The Quebecair Legacy: The Constantineau Family Collection
Acquired in the late 1970s, this work originates from the collection of an avid enthusiast of the artist. The original owner was a personal acquaintance of both Constantineau and his son through their shared careers at Quebecair, establishing a direct and credible link to the artist’s studio. A detailed letter of provenance is available upon purchase.

Ownership History:

Original Private Collection (Acquired late 1970s)
By Descent (Family of the original owner)
Current Private Collection

Automne dans les Laurentides (1946)

This powerful work represents Fleurimond Constantineau at the height of his post-war creative output, capturing the rugged interior of the Quebec Laurentians in 1946. This oil on panel study is a quintessential example of Constantineau’s ability to distill the vastness of the Canadian wilderness into an intimate, high-energy composition.

In this piece, the artist moves beyond mere representation, utilizing a sophisticated, almost sculptural application of impasto to define the rhythmic, undulating ridges of the mountains. His early mastery of color is at its most daring here; he employs a vivid, high-contrast palette of deep ultramarine shadows against a foreground of burning oranges and magentas. The delicate, luminous sky provides a fleeting sense of light that anchors the heavy, textured terrain below. As a documented work from his definitive 1946 series, this painting stands as a significant primary record of mid-century Quebecois landscape painting.

Fleurimond Constantineau (1905–1981)

Fleurimond Constantineau was a distinguished Canadian painter, draftsman, and educator who occupied a unique place in 20th-century art. A graduate of the Montreal School of Fine Arts (Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Mtl. 1924-29), Constantineau was recognized early in his career for his exceptional drawing skills, earning five bronze medals and a prestigious gold medal from the French government for academic excellence. He dedicated decades to his craft as a professor of drawing and painting, influencing generations of artists at his alma mater and other Montreal institutions from 1932 through the late 1940s.

While deeply rooted in his native Montreal, Constantineau’s most profound artistic legacy stems from his extensive travels. He is most celebrated for his six major expeditions to the Canadian Far Northbetween 1951 and 1973. Through his empathetic portraits of Inuit people and his vibrant coastal seascapes of the Hudson Strait, he played a critical role in bringing the raw beauty and human spirit of the Arctic to a national audience. His work was equally inspired by his travels to the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa, as well as his deep affection for the historic streetscapes of Old Montreal and the rugged landscapes of rural Quebec.

Independent of the radical movements of his time, such as Automatism, Constantineau maintained a descriptive style characterized by a mastery of atmospheric light and vigorous impasto. His ability to capture the “human presence” within a landscape remains a hallmark of his work. Today, his paintings are held in the permanent collections of Canada’s most prestigious institutions, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, cementing his status as a pillar of Canadian heritage art.