Sawmill and Hydraulic Dam, 1889

William Raphael was not blind to the changes wrought by humans on the world around them. In his landscapes, the painter, a lover of the outdoors, explored themes closely associated with the exploitation of natural resources. Locks, dams, and mines were often present in his paintings, as seen in Sawmill and Hydraulic Dam from 1889. This piece captures not only the industrial development of the province but also its growing appeal to tourists. Cruises were becoming increasingly popular in Quebec, making it possible for visitors to discover the sawmills on the Saint-Maurice and Saguenay Rivers. Industry and tourism became linked as more people explored the landscapes of the province.

With Sawmill and Hydraulic Dam, Raphael captured a fresh and realistic scene. Planks of wood pile up below the mill, while in the foreground, three logs have been spared. Torrents of water pour out of the dam next to the grey mill, with the white eddies giving way to clear water that breaks against a few rocks in the current. In the background, two other grey buildings blend into the landscape between lush green trees.

The painting’s strong sketchy character—reminiscent of smaller works on paper, such as Dam on the St. Charles River, 1874—reveals Raphael’s speed of execution. Working in situ, he used very diluted paint to render the bank in the foreground. He then drew several lines to highlight the rectangular shape of the planks, the fineness of which contrasts with the highly textured sky, which was probably executed with a knife. The grain of the canvas can be seen in the texture of the clouds, and the entire surface is marked by the artist’s omnipresent brushstrokes, which are particularly pronounced in the trees.

This work may have led to a larger finished painting produced in the studio, as suggested by two pieces exhibited at salons in the following years. In 1891, Raphael presented a work entitled The Mill at a Royal Canadian Academy of Arts salon held in Toronto. And three years later, the Art Association of Montreal exhibited a work called The Mill Dam, whose “details are carefully manipulated,” according to the critic of the Daily Witness newspaper. Although these last two paintings cannot be located at present, they are a reminder that the subject sketched in 1889 deserved, in the artist’s opinion, to be developed further.