I visited the National Gallery of Art in Ottawa and learned that behind Quebec City and Montreal, Baie-Saint-Paul is the third most painted location of all the artwork in the gallery. It’s known for having beautiful scenery at the foothills of the Laurentians looking out to the largest river estuary in the world where the St. Lawrence meets the Atlantic.
The town’s landscape has given rise to many famous artists in the 20th century such as Marc-Aurèle Fortin, André Biéler, Clarence Gagnon, and Jean-Paul Riopelle. It earned the title of Cultural Capital of Canada in 2007 and is the town with the highest density of artists in all of Canada. It also has more than two dozen art galleries dotted along its Main Street, giving the streetscape vibrant colours.
The best place to appreciate the scenery is either at the beach right by the water or from the observation point just east of the town along Route 362.
