Corner Peel and Sainte-Catherine

Corner Peel and Sainte-Catherine shows the vibrant nightlife of downtown Montreal in the late 1940s. Adrien Hébert had been interested in the frenetic bustle of Montreal street life since the mid-1920s. Using a high-angle perspective, he often set his scenes at an intersection, highlighting the energy of the subject with diagonals: in this instance formed by the curbs and tram rails and cars. This image of the city at night is enhanced by the glistening pavement reflecting the light from the shop windows, further accentuating the painting’s surface.