Tag Archives: Montreal

Eloise Brodeur: Seeking Understanding Through Cows

April 14, 2019 By in Art, Quebec Tags: , , , , , , , , 42 Comments

E. Brodeur -- 2017-best-friends

Eloise Brodeur, “Best Friends” (2017)

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The cow as a principal subject of painting may seem an odd choice.  But Montreal artist, Eloise Brodeur, has elevated the bovine creature to a sort of muse.   By painting images of her cows against a stark background of a single color, Brodeur suggests to her viewers that there is communion to be had between creatures and people and that perspective should cause us to reflect on our individual and collective lives.

From my own experience, cows seem to be naturally curious creatures, even if they are often skittish around strangers.  Brodeur seems to capture that sense of curiosity and sensitive feeling in her images.

More of Brodeur’s intriguing work can bee seen on her artist site or at the site for Galerie Got Montreal, which represents her work.

Eloise Brodeur, “Just Another Ordinary Day” (2013)

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Eloise Brodeur, “Candy” (2015)

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Eloise Brodeur, “Cherries and Memories” (2016)

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Eloise Brodeur, “Bisou” (2017)

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Eloise Brodeur, “Vote For Me” (2011)

Image Credits: Eloise Brodeur

Laurie Campbell Perfectly Captures Winter in the City

January 27, 2019 By in Art, Quebec Tags: , , , , , , 55 Comments

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Making one’s way through almost any busy city during snowy winter days requires a certain hunkered-down and focused steely resolve.  Montreal realist painter Laurie Campbell beautifully captures this feeling in her cityscapes of Montreal and elsewhere.  The chill in the air, the wetness of walkways covered with snow and slush, and the occasional icy slipperiness beneath the feet are all perfectly evoked on her canvases.

Given the present season, I’ve chosen to highlighted her winter scenes here.  However, Campbell’s artist site and the galleries that carry her work (including Montreal’s Galerie Eric Klinkhoff and Toronto’s Roberts Gallery) are worth visiting to appreciate her wide range of subject matter and the artistry and skill that she brings to her work.  On her website you’ll find several themed series of work, including ones featuring rainy day people, umbrellas, New York City, park hockey, among others.

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(Image Credits: Laurie Campbell)

Mod Design: Vintage Postcards of Expo 67

July 9, 2016 By in Art, History, Quebec, Society Tags: , , , , , , 40 Comments

Forest Pavilion

Canada Forestry and Paper Pavilion

With the Rio Summer Olympics being just around the corner this prompted me to ponder the differences between the Olympics and the World Fairs.  While both are cultural showcases that bring together people of many nations to good-naturedly preen about their countries, World Fairs seem more ad hoc than the more structured, media spectacle of the Olympics.

Coinciding with Canada’s centennial in 1967, Montreal hosted what is considered to be one of the most successful World Fairs, which was the first to adopt the “Expo” moniker by which all subsequent World’s Fairs have been named.  As attested by these postcards, the various national pavilions at Expo 67 served as grand displays for then cutting-edge, very “mod” design and innovation.

Kaleidoscope Pavilion
Great Britain Pavilion 1
Great Britain Pavilion 2
Canada Pavilion 1
International Scout Center
Cuba Pavilion
Ontario Pavilion
France Pavilion 1
India Pavilion
Canada Pavilion 2
Quebec Pavilion
France Pavilion 2
Man in the Community Pavilion
New York Pavilion
Polymer Pavilion
Overhead Cable Cars
U.S. Pavilion
USSR Pavilion
Venezuela and Ethiopia Pavilions
Yugoslavia Pavilion
Habitat

Quebec Charm in Vintage Postcards

March 20, 2016 By in Art, History, Quebec Tags: , , , , , , , 32 Comments

aaCartier Market

Jacques Cartier Market, Montreal, Early 1900s

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Bank of Montreal, Postmarked Jun 17, 1930
Chateau Frontenac, Early 1900s
Rue St. Champlain, Quebec, Early 1900s
Mount Royal, Montreal, Dated July 30, 1925
Montreal Harbor Bridge, Postmarked 1941
Montreal Post Office, Postmarked Dec 31, 1935
Sous Le Cap, Quebec, Early 1900s
Winter Scene, Quebec, 1950s

 

Similar Posts on O’Canada:

• Bridges As Depicted in Vintage Postcards

• “Having a swell time . . .”: Vintage Hospital Postcards

• The Great Canadian Outdoors: Vintage Rockies Postcards

• Ever-Bustling 20th Century Toronto

• Vintage Quebec:  Ox Carts, Dog Carts and Sleighs

Wintery Inspiration

January 18, 2016 By in Art, Ontario, Quebec Tags: , , , , , , , 10 Comments

A. Philbert -- The Dream Country

“The Dream Country” by Andre Philbert

It’s definitely heavy coat and neck scarf weather around here, as it is in many places this time of year, so thoughts of winter cold are unavoidable.  This painting, “The Dream Country,” by Montreal artist, Andre Philbert, with its overwhelming shades of blue and houses set with jaunty rooflines perfectly captures the quiet chill of this time of year. More of Philbert’s deep-blue winter landscapes can be seen at the site for Toronto’s Liss Gallery.

“Having a swell time . . .”: Vintage Hospital Postcards

March 29, 2015 By in Art, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec Tags: , , , , , , , , 19 Comments

zGeneral-Hospital-Montreal

Postmarked 1913.  A cozy looking place.

Hospitals seem a peculiar and dreary subject for postcards.  But back in the day — before routine outpatient procedures and hospitals speedily freeing up beds — time in hospital (as patient or visitor) regularly spanned several days or longer, so penning a brief note to update absent friends or loved ones was probably not so odd.  And what better way to do it than with one of the colored cards conveniently available at the hospital!

zGeneral-Hospital-Saint-Joh

 Postmarked 1945. The note starts out: “Having a swell time.”  Love those roadsters!

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zOntario-Hospital

About 1948.  Yikes — looks more like a prison!

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zRoyal-Victoria-Hospital

About 1910.  Regal digs.  Notice horse and buggy to bottom left.

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zToronto-General-Hospital

 Postmarked 1935.  Street car or bus passing by.

Old Maps and Their Hidden Stories

May 17, 2014 By in Alberta, Art, British Columbia, History, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec Tags: , , , , , , , , 36 Comments

Nova Canadae 1693

Nova Canadae (1693)

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Good historical maps combine science and art to guide its users through its subject geography, with the best such maps igniting the imagination about the many backstories underpinning its cartographical offerings. Some of the oldest maps of North America include parts of Canada, which then featured place names such Terra Nova (now Newfoundland), Nouvelle France (most of what is now Eastern Canada), and Acadie (now Nova Scotia).  The following collection showcases some interesting old maps of Canada I’ve come across.

British America (1841)
Alberta (1944)
Dominion of Canada with Newfoundland (1920)
East Canada (1851)
Manitoba (1891)
Gulf of St. Lawrence (1760)
Upper Canada (1855)
Vancouver (1898)
Isles of Montreal (ca. 1800)
Literary Map of Canada (1936)

Related Posts on O’Canada:

— 1933 Quebec Tourist Road Map

Early 1900s Town Markets

March 29, 2014 By in Art, History, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Society Tags: , , , , , , , , , 10 Comments

These colored photo postcards from the early 1900s highlight the importance of town markets as hubs of community activity.  Lots of horses and wagons, ladies in long dresses and men in dark hats and not an automobile in sight.

wHalifax-Market,-N.S.

Postmarked October 6, 1910, Reads: “Dear Cousin, I have not received any letters from you, nor from Oscar. Hope you will write to the above address and by the time I return here, there will be many letters.  Kind Love, Edgar”

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wMarket,-Brockville,-Ont.

No postmark, but likely around 1910; No note

wBonsecours-Market,-Montrea

Postmarked September 8, 1909; No note

 Similar posts:

♦ Moonlit Views of Yesteryear Canada

♦ Vintage Postcards: Canadian Churches

 ♦ Whimsical Wednesday: Vintage 7 Day Kisses

Notre-Dame Basilica de Montreal

May 25, 2013 By in Art, History, Quebec, Society Tags: , , , , , , , , 16 Comments

Notre Dame Basillica Montreal_edited-1

Quebec Month / Installment 15

Even to a casual observer of Quebec culture, the predominance of the Catholic church, at least historically, in the province is evident in many ways, not the least of which is the prominence in many towns of a centrally located Catholic church and the widespread naming of streets and other places for saints.  The Notre-Dame Basilica de Montreal, an impressive gothic structure situated in the Vieux-Montreal area of that city, is perhaps the crown jewel of all these.  My lovely wife took these two images of the intricately ornate interior of the Basilica.

notre dame basillica 3

Closeup on Architectural Detail Around Montreal

May 25, 2013 By in Art, Quebec Tags: , , , , , , 4 Comments

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Quebec Month / Installment 14

Pediments, bas relief sculptures, window moldings, fanciful brickworks, roof fixtures and decorative doors are among the many intricate architectural details that vie for our attention as we walk down a street and absorb all that is before us.  Here are some pics of such adornments from a recent trip to Montreal.

Wall Art a la Montreal

May 17, 2013 By in Art, Quebec Tags: , , , , , , , , , 25 Comments
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Jazz Saints

Quebec Month / Installment 11

Not long ago I posted some pics I took of graffiti in Montreal.  Painted wall art is another form of creative expression that is different from graffiti, but sometimes in only subtle ways.  I’m sure someone has worked out the technical distinction between such things, but however these art forms are categorized, Montreal is a rich showcase for a great deal of both (as well as other street art variants — such as kinetic art, elaborate light shows and light sculptures — that I could not readily capture).

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Painted Cargo Container

Cardboard Totem Pole Wall Art

May 12, 2013 By in Art, Quebec Tags: , , , , , , 8 Comments

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Quebec Month / Installment 7

I have some other Montreal wall art still to share, but, at the moment, I’ve singled out the above piece because of the unusual medium — painted cardboard — used by its creator.  By the time I came upon this contemporary take on a traditional Pacific Northwest totem pole, the work had seen better days but it still held up quite well.  The brightly colored eagle, beaver and cow (a modern update for a totem pole!)  are set off nicely by the intricate carvings in the corrugated cardboard.

Montreal’s Vibrant Walls of Graffiti

May 9, 2013 By in Art, Quebec Tags: , , , , , , 6 Comments

aDSC_7489

Quebec Month / Installment 5

Wow!  Montreal has a lot of amazingly cool graffiti — and not just the quickly dashed out monochromatic tag variety.  In that city, wielders of spray paint have taken the graffiti form to a more vibrant, artistic level that brightens rather than blightens.  Here are some of these artfully done works that caught my eye as I recently roamed the city’s streets.

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[Click on Image to Enlarge]

Toronto’s Nuit Blanche

October 4, 2010 By in Art, Ontario Tags: , , , Leave a comment

So-called Nuit Blanche arts festivals are held in many cities throughout the world, including in Montreal and Toronto.  Nuit Blanche, translates to “white night” and, more loosely, as “sleepless night” and has been typically associated with winter festivals taking place at night.  This year, Montreal held its Nuit Blanche in February, while Toronto held off until just a few days ago, with its own nighttime arts festival kicking off for twelve hours starting around twilight on October 2.   While I arrived in Toronto for a business trip a day too late to enjoy this first hand, the 2010 event marked the fifth anniversary for this all-nighter out on the town in Toronto.  An unsuspecting visitor to the city that evening might very well have observed the wondrous and grand spectacle of this arts fete and concluded that Torontonians had gone blissfully mad.