Still-life with Grapes, 1826 oil on canvas 94.9 x 126.4 cm
National Gallery of Canada (no. 15684) When he made this large
painting, early in his career, Joseph Légaré was breaking new
ground, for it is the first still life ever executed in Canada.
He copied the central motif - the impressive cluster of grapes
in the foreground - from a picture in his collection attributed
to Michelangelo Pace, called Il Campidoglio. The artist has
nevertheless set it against the backdrop of an imaginary
landscape that opens onto a distant vista. This imbues the theme
with additional significance: the work is in fact a tribute to
Italian painting, which also influenced a number of other 19th-
century Canadian artists.