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A dazzling display of colour shapes that vibrate
kinetically
or
Playful Paintings that Push, Pull, Tug and Yank
Guy
Montpetit’s
retrospective exhibition "Animations sensibles" at the
Laurentian Museum of Contemporary Art includes captivating and vividly
colourful paintings done during 1961-1996.
There
are hard-edged paintings from 1968-1971, that invite the viewer to a fantasy of toys
coming to life with titles such as
Deux
Cultures,
une nation,
Hommage aux patriots québécois
(triptych), and from 1972-1978,
which define colour fields in decorative enlarged curved motifs from the
series Le temps de vivre, and series V5.
There
is a landscape from the 60s, Du côté de l’ouest canadien, which
attracted many viewers, charcoal drawings from the 80s,
and
a triptych from the 1996 series entitled
L'Altérité des saisons de la vie.
There
are display cases with sketch books, drawings for the mural at Maison
Radio
Canada in Montreal, and photographs from projects
Montpetit was involved in: the 1% integration of art and architecture,
and the Society of Professional Artists of Quebec.
At
first glimpse, one is immediately attracted to those nicely shaped
Mechano-toy strips with predrilled holes,
the perfect construction toy for kids of all ages.
Montpetit paintings push, pull, tag and yank, in a dazzling display of
colour shapes, which vibrate in kinetic motion. The colours are playful
bright hues of yellows, greens, blues and reds against a dotted or flat
background.
When
discussing the playfulness, humour one draws from his paintings,
Montpetit proudly explains that indeed he worked with children. He
developed a program for teaching the deaf & mute, helping them express
visually, what they feel and can’t say. The use of construction parts
came about while working on murals for public spaces, such as the mural
at the Montreal Metro station L’Assomption (1976).
The
illustrated catalogue, written by curator
Jules Arbec,
gives a good overview of the cultural climate in Quebec in the 60s,
starting with the Quiet Revolution, le Refus Global, and the art
movements of the decade: Automatists (Paul-Émile Borduas), Avant-Garde
(Alfred Pellan) Pop’Art, the American Abstract Expressionists,
Minimalists (Kenneth Noland, Frank Stella), the neo-plasticiens (Guido
Molinari, Claude Tousignant), and print maker (Albert
Dumouchel),
who were factors in Montpetit’s creative path, be it the
formal aesthetics or the role of the artist in society.
The
images provided in the catalogue also include 3-dimensional works, which
were not brought over from the Montreal Contemporary Art Museum. No
recent work is shown, probably because Montpetit concurrently opened an
exhibition at the Galerie d’arts contemporains de Montréal. Montpetit
participated in many exhibits, and received numerous awards, prizes and
grants within the Quebec cultural system. The exhibition lauds
Montpetit’s artistic career. Monpetit
said at the Vernissage that he was touched, seeing all the people who
came to see the work he did and has yet to do. It is an exhibition well
worth seeing.
Guy Montpetit at the vernissage, 12 March 2006.
Jules Arbec addresses the public, next to him André Marion,
Director of Musée d'art contemporain des Laurentides, Guy
Montpetit and Stanley Bornstein, owner of Galerie d'arts
contemporains de Montréal. |
Hommage aux Patriots québécois, triptych 2, 1971,
acrylic on canvas, 203 x 489 cm.
The catalogue depicts mechano parts on some of the image pages.
I have scanned 3 images from the catalogue itself. |
Guy Monpetit in front of the triptych Sexe Machine, 1970,
acrylic on canvas, 213,5 x 438 cm
Nathalie-Isabelle-Manon, triptych, 1963-64 oil on canvas,
66 x 193 cm |
Montpetit, Serie V5 Nos 6 & 5. 1981, acrylic on canvas, 178
x 140 cm...on loan from the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art. |
3-dimensional work shown in the exhibit. |
Montpetit, Gouache on paper (not listed in catalogue) |
Colours
and dimensions artwork may be slightly different from the original.
