Georges Lèo Degorce’s Canal in Conway
Georges Lèo Degorce’s Canal in Conway (presumably Conway, Wales), 1932, depicts a wide view of a lush riverbank overlapping the undisturbed surface of a canal. The surrounding aisle of towering trees isolates the viewer from the bustle of the nearby town and creates an intimate and tranquil experience that mimics floating down the river and under the stone bridge.
As an Impressionist, Degorce skillfully experiments with texture, color intensity, and movement within the painting. While the overarching grove of trees is composed of scattered, cross-hatching brush strokes, the bottom right corner of the painting layers swatches of dripping blue-green paint, embodying thriving vegetation. The foliage’s heavy color saturation and the contrast between draping trees and brick buildings provides a humid, summertime atmosphere that would compel anyone to dive in the river for a refreshing swim. Unlike the pure Impressionism found within the foliage’s dappled brushstrokes, Degorce chose to fluidly blend the canal into a mirror-like sheet, creating an illusion that seamlessly reflects the surface of the world above.
Degorce engages the viewer—and convinces them of the painting’s peacefulness—by removing the foreground and placing them in the center of the river. Although the middle of the painting is usually where the action takes place, in the case of Canal in Conway, the “central action” is the scene’s lack of disturbance and uncomplicated atmosphere. All the viewer need concern themselves with is the task of immersing themselves in the experience of drifting tranquilly down the river on a bright summer day.
Georges Léo Degorce
Belgian, active in France, 1894-1943
Canal in Conway, 1932, Oil on canvas, 15 x 183/8 inches
Saint Vincent Art & Heritage Collections
Gift of Michael and Aimee Rusinko Kakos