MUSICIANS AT THE MONTREAL MUSEUM OF ARTS

Today, Culture Day, I went as usual each year to see a few members of the Canadian Watercolor Society at the Fine Arts Museum of Montreal.   Two musicians, a vilonist and a cellist, were playing marvelously.   I could not resist to sketch them...

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ARTS - New-York

This week I spent two days of pure joy drawing in the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New York.  As I had received a very beautiful publicity about their collection of arms  and armours, I first set my small and light stool in this section.  

The following day, I revisited the hall of Greek sculptures and their Roman copies.   Always interesting.   I could not leave this Museum without admiring again Rodin’s Bourgeois de Calais…

An incursion on the first floor enabled me to go and pay a visit to Rembrandt and his admirors. 

Here are the results of these two days.

OTTAWA - A VISIT TO...

While visiting Ottawa we discovered two very interesting exhibitions.   The paintings of Van Gogh insisted about possible influences which might have had an impact on the artist.  For example the photographs, drawings and engravings of other artists were easily accessible  as well as Japanese scenes popular at the moment .   Van Gogh had acquired approximately 400 japanese prints at the time of his death. 

The Maya exhibition in the Museum of Civilization presented an outline of the history of this civilization which was destroyed by the Spanish conquest.   A loss for the humanity.

We also saw the illuminated show on the Parliament walls.   Like the one presented two years ago, this one insists on bilingualism specific to our country.   But we noted that not all the employees of the city are bilingual… 

The following drawings will always help me remember these pleasant moments in the Canadian capital.

St.CATHERINE STREET. -- MONTREAL

Walking on the Saint-Catherine street gave me the oportunity to draw three scenes.   The first one was done inside the St.James United Church.   I came in at the end of the religious office and the organist  was playing the last measures of the “Phantom of the Opera”, it is at least what somebody told me when coming in.   A splendid sound.  

A drawing of the church taken at the back follows.

Finally,  sitted in the shade on the Philips Public Square, I  sketched part of The Bay building.

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART --- NEW-YORK

During a recent voyage to New York Ciiy, I had the occasion to go and draw at the  Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I drew only statues in the European sculptures hall.   As I was planning to come back to the museum the following day, I wanted to draw the Greek and Roman statues on this second visit.  But… I have not been able to come back to the Museum.

These were moments of intense pleasure.   But when I was starting to draw Hugolino,  one of the supervisors ordered me to bring the chair back to its place.  I was somewhat annoyed!   I had to  finish the drawing standing.   Fortunately all the others were done while sitting comfortably.  As usual, I added watercolour to the drawings in the evening.    They are all done with pen and permanent ink.   The last two drawings were done in a previous visit.

QUEBEC CITY-2012

A few days spent in the City of Quebec enabled me to quickly draw a tiny part of the million beautiful things of this historical city.   The weather was very hot and I sought the shade to work at ease.  It is to be noticed that the color was usually put in the evening.   It means that the buildings take a slightly different aspect as well because of my memory as by my inclination to put such or such color not always in conformity with reality…

This time, there is no text on the history of the various buildings and places.   It should simply be remembered that the famous doors which give access to the old city had to be rebuild but not in the French style castles bur rather in the spirit of the Scottish castles and that the wall was saved by the English of Quebec because the municipality wanted to destroy them.

LE CANAL DE LACHINE - Montréal

In

  1670, it was proposed to digg a canal.  Ten years later the idea was taken up again.  It would have two goals : the mills of Montreal needed water and the navigation toward Ontario  would be facilitated.   In 1689, the digging began.   The attack of Lachine by Iroquois put an end to the project.   It was resumed in 1700.  Another stop happened the following year for lack of funds.  In 1821, the merchants needed the canal.  It was therefore completed in 1825.  Initially opened for the flat-bottomed boats, it had to be widened twice allowing larger ships to pass through it.  It was also an important source of electric power for various manufactures which were established along the canal. It is said that before the great crisis of 1929, nearly 15,000 ships used it each year.  But thirty years later, to allow the transatlantic boats to go to Ontario, the Great Lakes  St. Lawrence Seaway took up the project.

The Canal lost its importance until 1997 when Parcs Canada (which was manageing  it since 1978) proposed a project of revitalization of the canal.  Since 2002, many pleasure boats cross it to the great joy of the curious one.   Today, it has become a pride for Montreal.

 It measures 14,5 kilometers and connects the Old -Port and the lake Saint-Louis.  Its cycle track is very popular.   Various activities were set-up in order to make it possible for the population to benefit from this patrimonial richness.   Thus one can go on a one hour cruise which is very instructive. Lots of other activities are available : guided bicycle excursions are organized, photograph rallyes, commented  visits on foot to discover the history of the site,  dragon boats expeditions, rented pedal boats, electric motor boats and many others for those who are curious about the history or simply to enjoy the moment.