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In Quebec, as elsewhere, artists tend to form colonies or converge at least
in populated areas, e.g. Montreal, Quebec, Rimouski, and Chicoutimi. These
cities correspond generally to particularly picturesque and interesting
regions, for example, the Laurentians, Charlevoix, Lac Saint-Jean, and the
Gaspe.
Quebec has been fortunate. The province does not lack painters who have
described, interpreted, transformed or simply chose to live within her
borders. Listing Quebec's artists (PeI1an, Lemieux, Légaré, Julien, etc.)
opens up a whole chapter of not just Quebec but also Canadian art history.
Art and art history are still alive and well and living in Quebec, as
Jean-Guy Desrosiers proves. Born in Sorel, Desrosiers left early to live,
paint and maize a career in the provincial capital. He set up house and
studio in Charlesbourg. Like many other Quebec artists (Suzanne Bergeron,
St-GiIIes, Rémi Clark), Jean-Guy Desrosiers was inspired by the old town
of Quebec. The port, the cliffs, l'île d'Orléans, and
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all the historical treasures - a veritable trove
of subjects.
Despite a slew of productions, Desrosiers succeeded in malting his own
mark and standing out. Some of his urban images obviously use Quebec as
an artistic starting point. Under the flick of his brush, the site is
transfigured, idealized, metamorphosed. The constructions dance and sing
as if moved by a holiday or, rather, an overly fertile imagination!
Desrosiers admits that he admires Cézanne, Pissarro and others from the
impressionist period. In fact some affinity can be noted in his work. Yet
he escapes the usual classifications. Whether Desrosiers stops in Charlevoix,
Saint-Laurent or Gaspe, each location will be seen through his own eyes.
His compositions are always carefully created. There is an obvious preference
for warm colours. His drawing moves and shows precision even when the artist
is exuberant. Desrosiers' scenes are full of light which he reinforces
sometimes with more intense bright
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patches. If we must compare Desrosiers, music might
correspond best. Dance, (Petrouchka, the ballet) comes to mind. Desrosiers'
works are rhythmic with harmonic projections. Yet this comparison is arbitrary,
his art deserves to be regarded simply for what it is.
He calls himself self-taught. Well, perhaps he is but he belongs to that
species of artists who live life with passion, e.g., Yehudi Menuhin, Rimbaud,
Isadora Duncan, Pavarotti, and Maria Callas. These are enthusiastic, decided,
ardent idealists who break away from the ranks and share their gift
of imagination.
Jean-Guy Desrosiers attended the Technical School in Ottawa and the École
des beaux-arts in Quebec. He teaches art at Patro-Amadour in Quebec. Desrosiers
was actually an aviation photographer during WWII but soon moved into the arts.
He is currently a member of the Charlesbourg Artistic Society and the
International Arts Guild of Monte-Carlo!
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