![Paul Henry - The Road by the Lake [c.1935-36]](http://c3.staticflickr.com/1/273/31402173914_ed66401c8e_b.jpg)
The present work was executed circa 1935-36 and selected by Henry for inclusion in his 1936 exhibition in Toronto. While the setting cannot be identified, it is almost certainly of Connemara. The picture is imbued with a sense of freshness and freedom, the sky and clouds transient in both pattern and nature. The brushwork has been swiftly applied with a directness and assurance that show Henry at the height of his artistic powers and also recalls the influence of Henry's onetime teacher in Paris, Whistler, who taught his students that they should observe things in direct and simple terms and lay them down harmoniously in closely modulated tones. It is this approach which underpins much of Henry's best work.
[Sotheby’s, London - Oil on canvas, 35.5 x 40.5cm]