Farm Scene Near Valleyfield, P.Q.
25.5 x 31.5 in (64.8 x 80 cm) including frame
Although Robert Lougheed established a distinguished career in the United States as a premier painter of the American West, his artistic roots remained firmly planted in the soil of rural Quebec. Born in Ontario and later based in Connecticut and Santa Fe, Lougheed made frequent pilgrimages back to his family’s farm near Valleyfield to capture the quiet, industrious rhythms of French-Canadian pastoral life. These Canadian works are characterized by a profound sense of intimacy and "plein air" vitality, reflecting the artist’s belief in painting directly from nature to capture the true temperature of light and the movement of animals.
In Farm Scene Near Valleyfield, P.Q., Lougheed’s mastery of animal anatomy and light is on full display. The composition is anchored by the powerful forms of workhorses, rendered with a thick, confident impasto that suggests both physical weight and the shimmering heat of a summer day. His technique—a blend of tight draftsmanship and loose, impressionistic brushwork—allows the weathered textures of the barn and the dappled shadows of the trees to feel immediate and lived-in. This painting is not merely a nostalgic record of his family’s land, but a sophisticated study of light and form that highlights Lougheed’s unique position as a bridge between the traditions of Canadian regionalism and American Western art.
Robert Lougheed
1910 - 1982
Lougheed was born in Ontario, Canada in 1910. He received his art education at the Ontario College of Art and at Ecole des Beaux Arts in Montreal and was known to have studied under DuMond and Cornwell. The artist worked as an illustrator for the Toronto Star, National Geographic, and Reader’s Digest. He designed Mobil’s “flying red horse” logo and was commissioned by the US Post Office to design the six cent buffalo stamp for the Wildlife Conservation Series. He helped to form the National Academy of Western Art at the Phoenix Art Museum in Arizona. He also taught and mentored many of today’s finest wilderness artists. Lougheed was awarded the Western Heritage Award in 1966 and gold medals for painting by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1969 and 1972. His work can presently be viewed at the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Robert Lougheed was an easel painter and always painted as well as taught his pupils to paint directly from nature. He died in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1982.
