Albert Jacques Franck

"It seems to me," stated Harold Town, "that he has no peers, past or present." Indeed, this fine windswept street scene has few peers among Albert Franck's works. A rare, larger format work, it is filled with the vigour that defines his paintings of houses. St. George Street at Sussex depicts homes in a region once known as Toronto's Greenwich Village, an area at the heart of Franck's oeuvre. "The Village" was once home to Ernest Hemingway, and was a sketching location for Lawren Harris. Franck was drawn to this neighbourhood repeatedly, capturing its unique architectural personality. A handful of the houses still stand, both in testament to their beauty and to Franck's ability to see their timelessness. St. George Street at Sussex is decidedly appealing, with a palette dominated by rich red, glossy black and various shades of white. The buildings are silent in their beauty and yet all of them, even the home that runs off the side of the work, command our attention - as if they were proud sitters in a group portrait.