No. 3

watercolour on paper
Paul-Emile Borduas is one of the most important and influential figures in Canadian contemporary art. Borduas, through force of intellect and personality, and strength of principals succeeded in revolutionizing painting in Quebec and Canada. Borduas was the leader of the Groupe Automatiste, a Surrealist-inspired, non-figurative school of art guided by free expression, impulse and spontaneity. Borduas was a respected teacher, influencing artists such as Jean-Paul Riopelle. He was the chief author of the Refus Global manifesto, a document signed by 16 of Quebec's leading artists and intellectuals of the time. The Refus caused an uproar in the press and Quebec society, criticized for being anti-establishment, anti-religious, even anarchistic. Though in retrospect, few copies were sold, and the publication was primarily a collection of plays and essays intended to accompany an Automatiste exhibition.