On the occasion of the 100e birthday of Françoise Sullivan (June 10, 1923) and Jean Paul Riopelle (October 7, 1923), we recall here, in two significant moments, the friendship that prevailed between these two artists.
Dance in the Snow (February 1948)
During an evening at M.me Gauvreau, February 26, 1948, Jean Paul Riopelle asks Françoise Sullivan what she has been doing since their last meeting. She tells him about her project to create choreographies for each of the seasons, that the summer season was produced and filmed by her mother during the family vacation in June 1947, at Les Escoumins, at the Pointe à Jacques Cartier, a site of pink granite rounded by the waves. She adds that she would very much like to spend the winter in the snow. No sooner said than done, Jean Paul Riopelle invites him: “Come home tomorrow. Françoise Sullivan told us this: “It’s Riopelle’s genius to do things spontaneously, instinctively. We don’t wait with him. »
Françoise will tell us later what happened the next day, February 27: “I took the bus and, in a bag, I brought ski boots, leggings, work skirt, sweater, gloves and toque. When I arrive at Riopelle’s in Otterburn Park, Maurice Perron is already there. Françoise Riopelle cooks us a good meal and Maurice sings French songs. It was a nice evening. »
“The next day we leave early, Jean Paul with the 16 mm camera, Maurice follows us with his camera. We cross the fields behind the house, brown and icy fields. We go from field to field, we walk for a long time, we are a little discouraged, when suddenly we arrive at a place where there are small hills at the foot of Mont Saint-Hilaire. And there, the snow, still frozen, is all white and the place looks like a lunar panorama, a bare and cold landscape. We were suddenly transported to a place of dreams and wonders. I was at the top of a steep, icy slope strewn with masses of snow wondering how to navigate it. That’s when the sun came out and my courage kicked in. I dared to cover this expanse of snow running, dancing, stopping. »
Jean Paul Riopelle’s film of this performance is unfortunately lost. Perron’s photos show us the place of the performance, a snowy and uneven terrain, with deep unevenness. In the 1940s, dance was an artistic discipline governed by several conventions and rituals, always moving on the stage of a theater in complete safety, with the help of assistants to adjust the lighting, take care of the clothes and decorations.
With her project of the seasons, Françoise Sullivan contravenes this ritual by giving her performances on uneven ground, be it a bank, a vacant lot or a street in Old Montreal, having for all lighting and decor the natural elements or surrounding. For Dance in the snow, Françoise will put aside the light clothes and tutus reserved for classical dance and ballet to put on winter clothes, boots and a tuque. The field of creation is completely turned upside down, the conventions of the place are rejected and the dance becomes a visceral improvisation.
Maurice Perron’s photos also show us Françoise Sullivan’s attitude in her creation. A strong and audacious Françoise Sullivan: here her right arm outstretched with a clenched fist, elsewhere her arms open ready to hug you, there folded in on her with complete restraint. The movements, marked as much by the arms and the legs as by the head and the body, show several attitudes in a short time, in jolts, imbued with introspection and free openings to the unconscious. Françoise does not follow a pre-arranged notation, she is, in time and space, whole and alone in the creation of the moment. It has no reference other than itself.
Thus is born a new and unique work, outside the known and listed paths. Françoise dares freedom, defies recognition, shows her joie de vivre outside conventions and reason. It is this attitude shared with Jean Paul Riopelle that nurtured their friendship. It is this attitude that will give the two artists the strength and audacity to create new works, leading us to recognize unsuspected human realities. And it is the strength and originality of these works in their unique rendering that will make these two artists important figures in the history of art.
Dance recital at Maison Ross (April 3, 1948)
Françoise Sullivan had her studio at Maison Ross, at 3644 Peel Street, from the summer of 1947 until 1950. On April 3, 1948, she launched dance recital, now considered the first modern dance show in Montreal, which she presents to her friends and acquaintances. She invites choreographer and dancer Jeanne Renaud, who has just returned from New York for a brief stay in Montreal, to join her and present her choreographies with hers. A total of nine choreographies will be presented.
The project arouses a lot of enthusiasm among the friends of the group of automatists, who bring their spontaneous help. This is how Jean Paul Riopelle will be in charge of the choreography Duality danced by Françoise Sullivan and Jeanne Renaud to music by Pierre Mercure. Jean-Paul Mousseau will create costumes, a jute theater stage and the poster for the show. Maurice Perron will be in charge of the lighting, Claude Gauvreau will read a text by Thérèse Renaud and Françoise Riopelle will make a costume.
These two moments are privileged witnesses to the friendship between Françoise Sullivan and Jean Paul Riopelle: the quiet strength of the former and the casual exuberance of the latter. Jean Paul Riopelle sadly left us, but Françoise Sullivan is fortunately still with us. Happy birthday, Francoise.