Exhibitions, Manifestos, and the Seventieth Anniversary of Refus Global Ray Ellenwood
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Document generated on 09/29/2021 1:23 a.m. RACAR : Revue d'art canadienne Canadian Art Review Exhibitions, Manifestos, and the Seventieth Anniversary of Refus global Ray Ellenwood Volume 44, Number 1, 2019 URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1062156ar DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1062156ar See table of contents Publisher(s) UAAC-AAUC (University Art Association of Canada | Association d'art des universités du Canada) ISSN 0315-9906 (print) 1918-4778 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this review Ellenwood, R. (2019). Review of [Exhibitions, Manifestos, and the Seventieth Anniversary of Refus global]. RACAR : Revue d'art canadienne / Canadian Art Review, 44(1), 99–105. https://doi.org/10.7202/1062156ar Tous droits réservés © UAAC-AAUC (University Art Association of Canada | This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit Association d'art des universités du Canada), 2019 (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ Exhibitions, Manifestos, and the Seventieth Anniversary of Refus global Reviews | Recensions Ray Ellenwood August 8, 2018, was the 70th anniver- sary of the publication of Refus global, the manifesto of a multi-disciplin- ary group of Montreal artists called the Automatists, widely recognized as important avant-garde figures in the history of Canadian modern- ism. The story of the manifesto and its reception is quite well known : immediate official and public reac- tion was strongly negative because the manifesto was seen as danger- ously anti-clerical.1 Gradually, how- films, performances — commemor- Automatism : François-Marc Gagnon.5 ever, Refus global and the activities of ating Refus global and its adherents to The gathering heard presentations the group came to be recognized as the extent that some commentators on Gagnon and his work from speak- constituting a crucial moment in the have complained of “occultation.”2 ers such as Dominic Hardy, Laurier cultural history of the province. In Over the years, celebrations of the Lacroix, and Louise Vigneault. 1959 and 1960, the periodical Situa- group and its manifesto have been I did not attend those events, but tions began the process of redemp- at times personal and intimate, at what follows is a brief account of tion by publishing a special number times more academic, and at times some others I was able to witness dur- entitled “Refus global : dix ans après,” highly public, government-spon- ing 2018, mostly in Montreal and Que- followed by a posthumous celebra- sored and elaborate.3 The year 2018 bec, but also in Toronto. The observa- tion of the mentor of the group, vis- was no exception, especially in Que- tions are not objective (since I was an ual artist Paul-Émile Borduas. Ten bec, where the anniversary still has occasional participant) or complete years later, in August, 1969, La barre considerable meaning. Besides the (since my visits were limited in time du jour published an important spe- several exhibitions I am about to while relevant events often took place cial number entitled Les automatistes, describe, there was a series of lec- over many days), but they can give with texts by and on the movement, tures by Gilles Lapointe, professor at some idea of the continuing impact the manifesto itself, and some of the l’Université du Québec à Montréal, of the Automatist manifesto on the signatories. No doubt stimulated by a prolific writer and editor of texts way its signatories are presented as these anniversary celebrations, an relating to Automatism. These were artists, especially in Quebec. Gener- exhibition entitled “Borduas et les truly downtown events, with sell-out ally speaking, an invocation of the automatistes, Montréal 1942–1955,” crowds despite a significant admis- Automatist past could be a benefit to opened in October, 1971, at the Gal- sion fee. The titles : « Borduas à vis- eries Nationales du Grand Palais in age découvert, » « Les echos de Refus Above Exhibition Marcel Barbeau en mouvement, Paris and moved to the Musée d’art global d’hier à aujourd’hui, » and « Les Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, contemporain in Montreal in Janu- femmes et Refus global, » were obvious- from October 11, 2018 to January 6, 2019. View ary of 1972. Following these first ly in keeping with anniversary cele- of entrance to the Pierre Lassonde Pavilion with Barbeau sculpture, Chant d’amours, signs of broad, even international brations.4 Lapointe also took part in a 1990 (produced in 2018). Painted steel, recognition, every ten years for day-long colloquium and celebration 427 × 594 × 564 cm. Coordinator : Martin almost half a century we have come of the man who has been, no doubt, Brisson, sculpteur. Production : Industries Océan, in collaboration with Fondation to expect various kinds of celebra- the single most influential figure Marcel Barbeau. © Succession Marcel tions — exhibitions, publications, among researchers and writers on Barbeau/SODRAC (2019) Photo : Damien Gillot. racar 44 (2019) 1 : 99–122 99 ⇢ Exhibitions, Manifestos, and the Seventieth Anniversary of Refus global swimming beneath the surface, giv- reflecting light in very subtle ways. ing the lie to any notion of stability Some weeks later, a large and the artist-signatories of Refus global, in colour or light. Interspersed with sumptuous retrospective entitled especially as their history and the the paintings in this exhibition were Marcel Barbeau : En mouvement opened at manifesto became better known. But quotations printed on the walls from the Musée national des beaux-arts du at times, as their methods changed letters written by Nicolas de Staël Québec.7 We were told in the exhib- and they moved away from the prac- (an artist whom Leduc admired but ition notes that this was the most tices of the 1940s, an emphasis on never met), all relevant to de Staël’s important retrospective ever shown retrospection could be seen as a dis- fascination with light and colour, and of the artist’s work, a statement that traction from their current work. This all relating astonishingly to the art- hints at how Barbeau has not been possible tension was never far from works and musings of Leduc himself. treated generously over the years by the surface in the exhibitions I vis- Nothing in the exhibition directly public galleries in Quebec and the rest ited. To establish a point of contrast, evokes the history of Automatism, or of Canada. Of all the painter-signator- we might begin with some where the of Leduc’s place therein. The subject ies of Refus global, he may be the least Automatist histories of the artists here is the sublimity of light, which represented in art museums of his were scarcely mentioned. may have been Leduc’s main obses- home province. Perhaps as a result, sion from the beginning but was this was a very earnest exhibition, Solo Exhibitions most obviously so in his later works. a teaching moment in art history, La tendresse des nuages was a show As if to show how the subject is any- focussed on the development of the mainly of works by Fernand Leduc at thing but new, the gallery included painter’s ideas and methods over time, Galerie Catalogue in Montreal from an “Annunciation” done in 1505 by with scant attention paid to biograph- August to November.6 It was a fine dis- the Dutch painter Jan Provoost, with ical or contextual/historical details play of paintings and pastels from the delicate renderings of material and (the catalogue makes up for this with 1950s through 2008, showing the end spiritual light. Hanging just across its various essays on the artist and an period of Leduc’s gestural work (the a corner of the room was a piece by excellent illustrated chronology). style usually associated with the early Leduc I found particularly attractive : a Something this exhibition showed history of Automatism), through the medium-sized work entitled Souvenir. very well is the alternation between more structured “pavés,” where col- Impression Carrara (1987), an oil pastel moments of abandon and control our is laid on in quite large, balanced on canvas. Leduc did a considerable in Barbeau’s work. There are the areas, and into the “microchromies” number of oil pastels on paper that Automatist works of the mid-1940s of the 1970s, where such structures are among his most popular works, and 1950s, recognized as perhaps are covered by layer upon layer of but few pastels on canvas. This one is the most advanced experiments very thin colour until a desired tone predominantly white, with delicate in all-over gestural painting of the is reached. These monochromes are tinting from under-colours and a rich time. This changes to a more con- deceptive because each work res- texture provided by both the canvas trolled minimalism in the 1960s with onates with cool or warm shades surface and the all-over, fine strokes a sometimes calligraphic line, fol- lowed by compositions with large areas of black and white confronting and balancing each other, unmoving. Then comes the period of meticulous works using colour and line bent to create optical movement, followed by carefully constructed and col- oured formed canvases. The kinetic Left. Exhibition Marcel Barbeau en mouvement, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, from October 11, 2018 to January 6, 2019. Foreground : La puissance de l’espoir, 1985. Painted steel, 114.3 × 121 × 63 cm. Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec collection, donation of Esperanza Schwartz (1988.118).