Krieghoff’s Québec

Cornelius Krieghoff lived a peripatetic existence. Born in Amsterdam in 1815, he spent his formative years all over Europe: Germany, Austria, Italy, France. He studied music and art, bathing in the currents of nineteenth-century romanticism. By the middle of the century, he had made his way to North America, first to the United States, then to Toronto, Montreal and Québec City.

Something about the Québec City region struck a chord with the Dutch artist, inspiring him to brush his impressions into dozens of paintings. Through those paintings, we are able to see aspects of Québec life that photography is simply unable to capture. In short, we are able to see Krieghoff’s Québec.

Krieghoff’s Québec is populist. There are ordinary people in his pictures, people going about the business of being human. They are working and playing, laughing and loving. Krieghoff’s Québec is rural. It is in the woods and by the waterfall, along a country lane and across a babbling brook. And, most conspicuously, Krieghoff’s Québec is four seasons in all their grandeur. It is forests in full fall color and windswept winter landscapes.

Krieghoff’s Québec is still here. Come see it.

 

Canyon Ste-Anne

28 thoughts on “Krieghoff’s Québec”

  1. This brings back wonderful memories of Quebec and how fortunate we were to spend three terrific days with Neil as our guide. We hopefully will return soon.

  2. Love this — we have so much more to see than what our 2-day port stop in Quebec City allowed. I was just sharing your name as a terrific guide when we talked about your tour we took in September. Please keep me on your mailing list — we want to go back!

  3. Colette Parayre

    Magnifique Neil….cet artiste considèré comme canadien , né aux Pays Bas et mort à Chicago? Curieux non. Le Royal Ontario Museum à Toronto, a une superbe collection de ses peintures. Comme nous, il avait choisi cette ville pour sa beauté et la chaleur de ses gens. Merci du partage Neil!

  4. Gladys Rodriguez

    Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful pictures, Neil. They brought back some great memories of our recent trip to Quebec, one of the most beautiful cities we have ever seen. You made our trip special, not only with you vast knowledge of Quebec, but also with your friendly and pleasant personality. Merci beaucoup, mon ami!

  5. Hi Neil,

    I was just talking about this great artist with my wife, yesterday afternoon, as we were wandering together on Cartier Street….

    Another time, thank you for sharing your relevant thoughts and images with your numerous followers, DL

  6. Hi Neil, Was thinking about you this October and remembering the wonderful time we had with you as our tour guide two years ago.

    We were talking about all the sights we saw so today we booked another trip for October 2018 with Celebrity. As you may remember my wife is an artist and your area is so beautiful, she is looking forward to seeing the sights and hopefully hearing you giving your expertise and a update news on your area. It would be wonderful if we were to luck out and get you again as our guide our guide, we know that you are a trainer to the other guides but it would be nice.

    I would like to say something in French but I do not have a daughter to teach me lucky you.

  7. Thanks lot Neil;
    May be will be very important to explain to our visitors that arts’s history of Québec were very rich!

  8. Hi Neil,

    Thanks for the email/post… My wife and I enjoyed your tour and Quebec so much we’ve decided we need to come back and spend more time… A day in Quebec on a cruise doesn’t do the city justice… See you next summer!!

  9. A very interesting article. Something that I would never have learned without your blog. We thoruly enjoyed touring with you, and seeing the Quebec countryside through the eyes of someone so passionate about the area. We would love to spend more time in your “beau Québec”. Alas the travel from our home in Alaska to that part of Canada is not the easiest of journeys.

  10. Thank you Neil for making us realize that the beauty of Quebec’s landscape has been seen, recognized and portrayed by artists for centuries and still is greatly inspiring for today’s artists.

  11. beverly and david phipps

    It was great to hear the stories. We truly loved your insite and knowledge. Please continue. We enjoyed our trip immensely. Pray you and yours are doing well.

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