Name/Title
Sur le Cap à QuébecEntry/Object ID
2018.08.06Description
Print
This image depicts a view of Old Québec on Cap Diamant on the Promontory of Québec and on which Québec City is located (formed by the confluence of the St. Lawrence River and the St. Charles River). Explorer Samuel de Champlain founded a French settlement here in 1608, adopting the First Nations Algonquin name, Kébec.
The ramparts area within old Québec's city walls was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Québec", one of the world's best examples of a fortified colonial city. The heritage site of Old Québec is an urban area of some 135 hectares with two distinct areas - the upper part on the Cap Diamant promontory and the lower part on a strip of land between the escarpment, the St. Lawrence River and the St. Charles River.
Visible to the upper right of the image is part of the Château Frontenac (now The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac) in the Upper Town. With its distinctive and commanding silhouette, it is a landmark of Old Québec. Completed in 1893, it was designed by Bruce Price and built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company. The Château Frontenac was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981. The multi-story residential houses seen to the left reflect the traditions of over four centuries of history and climate.Artwork Details
Medium
Etching and aquatint on paperSubject Place
Region
NortheastContinent
North AmericaContext
The Château style, as exemplified by the Château Frontenac, is still considered as one of the distinctive features of Canadian architecture. The Canadian Pacific Railway made it the official style for its hotels across the country, such as the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa and the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria. Characterized by the use of elements from medieval and Renaissance castles, these luxury hotels were usually constructed of stone masonry, but red-brown brick was also used, as with the Château Frontenac.
The residential houses in the forefront, likely built for merchants, blended traditions and features from the French and the English, and the architecture was also adapted to local conditions such as shallow land lots and extreme winter weather. For example, the medium to steep gabled sloped roof design provided protection from collapse under the weight of snow, and tin was used instead of slate or tile that was ill-suited for extreme cold temperatures. The house façades were flush with the street, and the first floor was above street level to preserve privacy with steps leading to the front door. As there was rarely a back lane, the yard and stable were accessed by a carriage gate facing the street.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Simone Marie Yvette Hudon-Beaulac (1905-1984)Role
PrintmakerDate made
circa 1936Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Québec City, Simone Marie Yvette Hudon-Beaulac was a noted Canadian painter and printmaker. She studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in her native city, graduating in 1931 after study with H. Ivan Neilson (1865-1931) who taught her etching and Lucien Martial (1892-1987), her professor of drawing, painting and decoration. She succeeded Neilson in 1931, and taught engraving, perspective, interior design and illustration until 1945. She moved to Montréal in 1945 and worked there as a book illustrator.
Hudon-Beaulac's love of old Québec and its landscape is clearly reflected in both her paintings and etchings. She won numerous awards during her career, and exhibited widely, notably with the sculptor and fellow Québecois artist, Sylvia Daoust RCA, (1902-2004). A member of the Society of Canadian Painter-Etchers and Engravers, and the Canadian Society of Graphic Art, Hudon-Beaulac's work has been exhibited many times, in both North America and Britain. She is well-known for her illustration of the book entitled "Au fil des côtes de Québec" which was completed for the Canadian Centennial in 1967.Edition
Edition Size
100Edition Number
3Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Signature, InscriptionLocation
Left to right bottom in pencil:
Sur le cap à Québec 3/100 Simon HudonDimensions
Dimension Description
Visible imageHeight
26 cmWidth
22.2 cmRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
By Simone Marie Yvette Hudon-Beaulac:
2018.08.05 Québec vu de port
2018.08.06 Sur le Cap à Québec
