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Last week I'd just returned from a visit to Vieux-Québec (Old Québec) with my husband, where we visited two fabulous exhibitions at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (Québec Museum of Fine Arts).
The second was "Rembrandt - Etchings from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen", featuring 88 of his rare etchings.
"The works selected offer a panorama that reveals Rembrandt's outstanding skill as an engraver in the human, aesthetic, and technical dimensions of engraving... include the artist's foremost masterpieces, i.e., The Hundred Guilder Print (circa 1648), The Three Crosses (1653), and The Little Tomb (circa 1657), and other outstanding works."
Unfortunately, taking photos wasn't permitted in this exhibition, so if you'd like details you can visit the webpage of the museum using the link above.

The first exhibition we viewed was "Helen McNicoll: An Impressionist Journey", which continues through January 5, 2025 - and is well worth a visit.
She's an artist whose work I adore, so when I found out that visitors were allowed to take photos during the exhibition, well, let's just say that I took quite a few.
As I wrote last week, the best way to share my passion for her paintings is through her brushstrokes, so here are a few more of my favourites among all the pieces displayed.
Of course, photos can't compare to seeing these paintings in person, so I'd still encourage you to visit the exhibition if you can.

And if you've never visited Québec City, be sure to add a several extra days as Vieux-Québec is a living museum; the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vieux-Québec:

"The Historic District of Old Québec is an urban area of about 135 hectares... A well-preserved integrated urban ensemble, the historic district is a remarkable example of a fortified colonial town, and unique north of Mexico...
The historic centre, confined within the current boundaries of the district, is the product of more than four centuries of history. During this period, the fortified town retained the integrity of its essential historical components, particularly from the standpoint of its architecture and urban spatial organization."

I'll write about the historic architecture and soul of Old Québec in a future post, but for now let's head back to Museum of Fine Arts and Helen McNicoll! Here are a few more snapshots of my favourite paintings from this exhibition, along with their descriptions.

Picking Flowers, c. 1912, Oil on canvas, Art Gallery of Ontario.
"This painting is based on a plein-air study, exhibited nearby, likely made while McNicoll was travelling.
By carefully recording the composition, colour, and light of the scene in the oil sketch, the artist faithfully recreated the outdoor sensation when she later enlarged the scene on this canvas...
However, not all Of McNicoll's studio canvases have complimentary sketches, suggesting some large-scale works were painted directly en plein air."
~ Image description, "Helen McNicoll: An Impressionist Journey", at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Aug 2024.

Picking Berries, 1913, Oil on canvas, Pierre Lassonde Collection.
"As McNicoll left few records, it is difficult to know with certainty where each image was created... The meticulous brushwork that forms this painting mirrors the labour of the young girls that are the focus of the image."
~ Image description, "Helen McNicoll: An Impressionist Journey", at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Aug 2024.

Midsummer c. 1909 Oil on canvas, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Purchase.
~ Image description, "Helen McNicoll: An Impressionist Journey", at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Aug 2024.

Two paintings in "The Water's Edge" section:
- The Blue Sea, c. 1914, Oil on canvas, McMichael Canadian Art Collection; and
- On the Beach, 1912, Oil on canvas, Pierre Lassonde Collection.

"After completing her studies, McNicoll adopted the Impressionist technique of painting exhibition-ready canvases on an easel set up outdoors.
Perhaps taking inspiration from the Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla, who held a major monographic exhibition in London in the summer of 1908, McNicoll's paintings took on an increasingly sunny air.
Like Sorolla, McNicoll's quick brushstrokes deftly express sunlight reflected on white clothing, shadows cast by ridges or rocks in the sand, and the movement of figures across sun-strewn shorelines.
Within a few years, she was appropriately described as a painter who "scatters sunshine" on her canvases."

~ Section description, "Helen McNicoll: An Impressionist Journey", at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Aug 2024.

These are but a few of my favourite paintings, among the many on display at this retrospective exhibition, and it was very hard to even choose my personal "Top 10".

If you're now suddenly planning a trip to Québec City, feel free to reach out via the "Leave a Comment!" or "Contact" sections of this website for some of our other favourite places to visit in Old Québec.