René Jean Richard "Draveurs (Log Drivers)" Litho

Updated September 5, 2026

Original Colour Lithograph – Atelier Proof 3/6 Signed in Pencil A vibrant original colour lithograph by celebrated Canadian artist René Richard, depicting draveurs (log drivers) at work on a river during Canada's historic logging era. Executed in Richard's energetic, expressionistic style, the composition captures the strength and movement of workers balancing on floating logs beneath sweeping strokes of colour that evoke wind, water, and the rugged Canadian wilderness. This scarce impression is an Atelier (Workshop) Proof, numbered 3/6, indicating one of only six artist's workshop proofs printed outside the regular edition. Atelier proofs are particularly desirable to collectors due to their rarity and close association with the artist and printer. Title: Draveurs (Log Drivers) Medium: Original colour lithograph Edition: Atelier Proof 3/6 Signed: Lower right in pencil Sight Size: 22 × 26 in. Frame Size: 29.5 × 33.5 in. Artist Biography: René Richard (1895–1982) was one of Canada's most beloved twentieth-century artists. Born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, he immigrated to Canada with his family in 1909, eventually settling in Alberta where he worked as a trapper, woodsman, and coureur des bois before pursuing art professionally. His years in the Canadian North profoundly influenced his artistic vision, inspiring paintings and prints celebrating the landscapes, wildlife, Indigenous communities, and working people of Canada.In 1927 Richard travelled to Paris to study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the Académie Colarossi, where he refined his expressive style under the encouragement of Clarence Gagnon. After settling in Baie-Saint-Paul, Québec, he became one of Canada's foremost landscape painters and printmakers. Richard received the Order of Canada in 1973 and was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. His works are held in major public collections including the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, and many of his prints depict the traditional occupations and northern landscapes that defined Canada's cultural heritage.The subject of this print, draveurs (log drivers), commemorates the skilled workers who guided timber down Canada's rivers to mills, an occupation that became an enduring symbol of Canada's logging history and folklore.

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