Autumn Day, Laurentians, 1948 (September 29)

Autumn Day, Laurentians reveals Eric Riordon at his best, interpreting the striking light and brilliant colours of the Laurentians during the peak of autumn’s splendour. The foreground is shaded, with the late afternoon light playing on the ground and in the trees. Riordon applied bold touches of red-orange where the light hit the trees on the left. In the middle ground is a lake and behind that a hillside with houses and barns, still basking in the fleeting glow.

Like Clarence Gagnon in Charlevoix, Riordon’s autumn paintings in the Laurentians emphasize the glory of the seasonal colours and lighting of the northern environment.

Riordon had only the briefest career while at the peak of his artistic powers. He matured as an artist during World War II, when he found time to paint while serving with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve. After the war, he built a house near Ste. Adele in the Laurentians, about 75 km north of Montreal. His best landscapes were painted in this area from the time that he returned to civilian life in mid-1945, until his death in December 1948 at the young age of 42.