Category Archives: Photo Essay

Métro Saint-Michel

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The obscure métro stations just keep coming. This one surprised me in that it is very much a product of its times. It has an 80s post-apocalyptic feel to it. Either that or some brutalist architecture gone disco.

View from the platform.
View from the platform.
View from the platform.
View from the platform.
Glass Bricks
Glass Bricks

Lemoyne & Associés were the architects, and someone in their office must’ve loved glass bricks. Unfortunately, I can’t find any information about other things they’ve built.

View from the platform.
View from the platform.
Tiles on the platform.
Tiles on the platform.

This is (was) the first metro station I’ve ever seen where there were details on the tiles. I can’t figure out for the life of me why Lemoyne & Associés woudl specify such a tile, unless they got a deal on them.

One of the benches.
One of the benches.

To my eye (and butt) the benches have a kind of, Art Deco feel to them.

Glass Bricks concealing a mural by Marcelin Cardinal.
Glass Bricks concealing a mural by Marcelin Cardinal.

Apparently some bright wag decided to hide the murals, which were likely part of the 1% art thing, behind glass bricks. It makes them extremely difficult to see. If you would like more information on Marcelin Cardinal, there is this article on him from Vie des Arts in 1972 and this article from 1981.

A mural by Charles Lemay behind glass brick.
A mural by Charles Lemay behind glass brick.

Lauréat Marois and Normand Moffat did the two other murals obscured by glass bricks on the other platform.

The view from the mezzanine.
The view from the mezzanine.
Design Flaw.
Design Flaw.

Continue reading Métro Saint-Michel

Busts of Dead White French Guys in Montreal

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I’m working on something similar about women and people with differently colored skin. But given the state of society, they aren’t going to be easy.

Guy Favreau
Guy Favreau

Guy Favreau in Complexe Guy Favreau.

René Lévesque
René Lévesque

René Lévesque at the corner of Saint-Urbain and René Lévesque.

Emile Nelligan
Emile Nelligan

Emile Nelligan in Square Saint Louis.

Alfred Rouleau
Alfred Rouleau

Alfred Rouleau in Complexe Desjardins.

Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine
Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine

Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine in Parc La Fontaine.

Félix Leclerc
Félix Leclerc

Félix Leclerc in Parc La Fontaine.

Guy Bernier
Guy Bernier

Guy Bernier in Complexe Desjardins.

Joseph Louis Conrad Kirouac
Joseph Louis Conrad Kirouac

Joseph Louis Conrad Kirouac in the Jardin Botanique.

Daniel Johnson
Daniel Johnson

Daniel Johnson in the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Maurice Richard
Maurice Richard

Maurice Richard in Les Ailes De La Mode.

Metro Georges-Vanier

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More pictures of obscure metro stations. Pierre W Major was the architect and the only other thing that he built that I can find online is the Saint-Justin Church.

A tile circle
A tile circle
A tile circle
A tile circle
A tile circle
A tile circle

My best guess would be that he kind of liked (or maybe was one of) Les Plasticiens even though it was built in the 70s.

A tile circle and a tile quadrilateral
A tile circle and a tile quadrilateral
A tile circle and a tile quadrilateral
A tile circle and a tile quadrilateral
A tile quadrilateral
A tile quadrilateral
Horizontal brick stripes
Horizontal brick stripes
Horizontal brick stripes
Horizontal brick stripes
Diagonal brick stripes
Diagonal brick stripes

Continue reading Metro Georges-Vanier

Obélisque en hommage à Charles De Gaulle (aka Still more things seen in Montreal)

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Montreal’s bureau d’art public has a Facebook page where they announce things (why they don’t do it on their website, I have no clue! Kind of like buying a Cadillac and then leaving it at home at taking taxis everywhere). And recently they’ve been publicizing the repairs that have been done on various pieces in the city’s collection.

Somehow, someone decided to prioritize the sculptures in Lachine over a sculpture on Sherbrooke. My best guess would be that Obélisque en hommage à Charles De Gaulle gets seen by at least ten times as many people each day, if not 50 times more people.

Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré

If you squint, it looks kind of like an elongated tank trap.

Detail of Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Detail of Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré

I have no idea what the blue means either. Doing just cursory research it doesn’t appear that the The French Resistance had any one color, just a Cross of Lorraine added to the bleu, blanc, rouge.

Detail of Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Detail of Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Western Plaque for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Western Plaque for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré

I think that this is wrong. De Gaulle did say “Let us be firm, pure and faithful; at the end of our sorrow, there is the greatest glory of the world, that of the men who did not give in.” But I don’t think he said it in Brazzaville in 1941, I think he said it in Algiers in 1943.

Eastern Plaque for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Eastern Plaque for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré

Explaining who made it, and that it was a gift in honor of both the 375 birthday of the city of Montreal and De Gaulle’s centenary.

Bench for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Bench for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré

Gotta love the bureaucrat who decided how to deal with the skateboarders.

Lights for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Lights for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Lights for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Lights for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Lights for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré
Lights for Obélisque en hommage à Charles de Gaulle by Olivier Debré

And I can’t imagine it would be that difficult or expensive to fix the lights…

And then if you’re interested… the De Gaulle moment in Montreal.

PRESIDENT DE GAULLE VISITS MONTREAL

I would have embedded the video from Radio Canada’s archives, but I can’t.

Then finally, more on Olivier Debré, and here, too.

And some better pictures of the sculpture.

Another thing seen in Montreal

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A piece of art made by some former student at Concordia University
A piece of art made by some former student at Concordia University
A piece of art made by some former student at Concordia University
A piece of art made by some former student at Concordia University
A piece of art made by some former student at Concordia University
A piece of art made by some former student at Concordia University

In front of the VAV building at the corner of René Lévesque and Crescent. It’s been there for at least half a dozen years (although I must admit, that my memory is sketchy at best). And while Concordia University is awesome at labeling at promoting officially sanctioned public art, they’re not so hot at older stuff that isn’t quite as officially sanctioned.

I presume that this was a piece made by a former student, and because it was so big someone thought it would work in the courtyard in front of the VAV building, but because it was a student project, the tag, explaining who, when and what either got forgotten or wasn’t made due to a lack of budget.

I like how it flips the “traditional” sense of street art on its head. The graffiti is embossed in the concrete and not painted on the fence. Although I’m not certain that the fence itself is supposed to have that bite taken out of it on the top (insert snarky comment about Concordia also not taking care of officially sanctioned public art here). I’m certain that if I did some research I could also find some details about the style and make of the fence, and when cast concrete barriers started to become prevalent and try to make some connections between the two. And then there’s the irony of it being placed outside of the actual fence marking where the courtyard ends.

Things seen around Montreal

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In a tree on de l'Esplanade near Fairmont
In a tree on de l'Esplanade near Fairmont

In a tree on de l'Esplanade near Fairmont
In a tree on de l'Esplanade near Fairmont
In a tree on de l'Esplanade near Fairmont
In a tree on de l'Esplanade near Fairmont

La forêt civilisée & Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau

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A little bit cliched, but one of my favorite pieces of public art in town.

Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau

More information on Roger Gaudreau can be found here.

Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau

In the spring and summer, the grass does not get mowed so you need to look close in order to find it.

Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau

And while Le jardin punk is fine as a name, I think I would have preferred if M. Gaudreau had punned off of Rocher-Percé in the Gaspé.

Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
Le jardin punk by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau

I’m not as much of a fan of this as I am of Le jardin punk.

La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau

To me it only works as a foil.

La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau
La forêt civilisée by Roger Gaudreau

The Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada’s An Evening of Luxury

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On Tuesday I was invited to The Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada‘s fundraising event called An Evening of Luxury.

I’d never been to a fashion show before, but after writing about Outfits from a New Era (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five), Les Ballets Russes de Diaghilev and the Arlette Vermeiren Zucoli exhibit, I figured it was not only high time, but could be a learning experience as well.

Empty room at Le Windsor before the Lundström fashion show to benefit the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada
Empty room at Le Windsor before the Lundström fashion show to benefit the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada

I wasn’t quite certain what to expect, but I figured despite my looking like a fish out of water, whatever happened it was unlikely to hurt, and as it was for a cause, maybe it would help my karma point score.

The Backdrop for Photographs of Important People
The Backdrop for Photographs of Important People

I wasn’t important enough to have anyone ask to take my picture, but I did manage to bumble my way through the event using mine, although I almost ran out of battery power.

The Heavy Organza Dress in Fuschia from the Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Heavy Organza Dress in Fuschia from the Lundström Fall 2012 Collection

As it was a fancy fundraiser, there were lots of folk dressed to the nines. Most of the early part of the evening was dedicated to wine and finger food. There was a silent auction and a live auction and I was told that the tickets cost $350/ch.

From the Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
From the Lundström Fall 2012 Collection

According to the program there were 33 outfits, although I was unable to keep track of everything as the models sashayed by. I also was quite struck by how all the models seemed to have the same expression on their face and how they appeared angry or unhappy.

The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
The Lundström Fall 2012 Collection

Before I go to another fashion show, I’m going to have to learn what tulle, ponte di roma, lurex, dupioni and a lot of other technical terms mean. It also seems that the fashion industry and the art world aren’t exactly in sync when it comes to definitions of colors.

Glitter La Parka in Black from the Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
Glitter La Parka in Black from the Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
Glitter La Parka in Black from the Lundström Fall 2012 Collection
Glitter La Parka in Black from the Lundström Fall 2012 Collection

The show stopper.

But really what caught my eye were the shoes that were worn to the event. I’m fairly certain that more than one person thought I had a foot fetish, but I digress.

Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Shoes
Comfortable Shoes
Comfortable Shoes
Boots
Boots
Stockings
Stockings

They raised about $160,000 at the event, and if you want to know more about The Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada, click here. If you want to know more about Colorectal Cancer, click on this. If you want more information on the Lundström collections try this. If you want to make a donation to The Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada, click on this. And if you want to know more about testing for Colorectal Cancer click here.

Murals at 4141 Sherbrooke O. and 420 Sherbrooke O.

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I don’t know how many times I’ve passed by this mural on the history of Montreal.

Kind of cubo-futurist painting of Montreal skyscrapers and churches.
Kind of cubo-futurist painting of Montreal skyscrapers and churches.

It’s on the side of what used to be the Holiday Inn, at 420 Sherbrooke St. O, and I would guess it was painted in 1983 (ish) when the Delta Hotel, next door was constructed.

A more realistic painting of Place Jacques Cartier.
A more realistic painting of Place Jacques Cartier.
More cubo-futurist buildings of Montreal.
More cubo-futurist buildings of Montreal.
Another vaguely realistic 19th Century Montreal street scene.
Another vaguely realistic 19th Century Montreal street scene.

I would imagine that there were at least two separate painters/designers (duh!)

More cubo-futurist churches.
More cubo-futurist churches.
The last cubo-futurist church painting.
The last cubo-futurist church painting.

But then, I came across this mural inside 4141 Sherbooroke O.

Some kind of faux renaissance painting in the lobby of 4141 Sherbrooke O.
Some kind of faux renaissance painting in the lobby of 4141 Sherbrooke O.
Some kind of faux renaissance painting in the lobby of 4141 Sherbrooke O.
Some kind of faux renaissance painting in the lobby of 4141 Sherbrooke O.
Close up of some kind of faux renaissance painting in the lobby of 4141 Sherbrooke O.
Close up of some kind of faux renaissance painting in the lobby of 4141 Sherbrooke O.

And I kind of think that they were both made by the same painter, although I’m not entirely certain. I can definitely make a case both for and against.

Does anyone know who made either of these?

La Dame de la Tour by Daniel-Vincent Bernard

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Still another kind of obscure piece of public art.

La Dame de la Tour by Daniel-Vincent Bernard
La Dame de la Tour by Daniel-Vincent Bernard
La Dame de la Tour by Daniel-Vincent Bernard
La Dame de la Tour by Daniel-Vincent Bernard
La Dame de la Tour by Daniel-Vincent Bernard
La Dame de la Tour by Daniel-Vincent Bernard
La Dame de la Tour by Daniel-Vincent Bernard
La Dame de la Tour by Daniel-Vincent Bernard
La Dame de la Tour by Daniel-Vincent Bernard
La Dame de la Tour by Daniel-Vincent Bernard

I have no idea when it went up or when it was made, but if you would like more information on Daniel-Vincent Bernard, click here. He is also the artist who created Mañana at the Habitations Jeanne-Mance.