Tousignant’s tour de force

The Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay, in the Sud-Ouest borough, is present until August 13 Free choice, the exhibition of 16 works by Montreal artist Claude Tousignant. A selection that reflects his total mastery of geometric abstraction.

Eric Clement
The Press

It is following the meeting of The Press with Claude Tousignant, in his studio, last August, that the Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay decided to invite him to exhibit in the borough of his studio. “He accepted on condition that we take care of the transport of the works and that he do the curating, which he did”, explains Olivier Toutiras, cultural agent of the house of culture. “He told our technicians where the works should be placed. He was very quick to choose and arrange them. And he checked that the lighting is perfect. »

It is always a delight to encounter the fruits of Claude Tousignant’s work. And to see, with his paintings made from 1955 to the present day, how much he never stops moving forward, trying, daring. With a unique verve. His last two Diamond as shown by.

His works are still and always a skilful arrangement of colors that are both bright and attractive, generating vibration effects. Like his Bull’s Eye #2to the sensations of draping when our vision is blurred by placing ourselves in front of the canvas.

What audacity, too, to associate, in The virgin in bed, two vibrant yellows by bringing out a dazzling sun from a deeper yellow square. One of his first acrylics in which he integrated a circle (1964). A canvas whose title is always intriguing. Why The virgin in bed ? Claude Tousignant burst out laughing: “People wonder if it’s a reminder, the memory of a woman in yellow, ha! ha! ha! A tall blonde! We won’t know any more!

Same sensations with sound gong 72from 1966, evoking, through its optical effects, the vibrating sounds of gongs, or even Blue + green = yellow, from 1965. It is true, for this last painting, that by stepping back, we end up seeing yellow moving in a canvas where… there is none! Nice tour de force.

The exhibition includes some elegant works such as White and black verticalsfrom 1962, a contemporary signature creation that recalls the black and white plastic language of the time and also evokes the style hard edge. His Chambly period.

The oldest work in the exhibition, the minimalist Free spots from 1955, includes, on a white background, spots of blue, yellow, orange, black, green, red, and even white. A canvas that marks the period during which Claude Tousignant, who will celebrate his 90th birthday in October, worked on the color chords that would later make him famous.

Deployment includes installation, Set n^oh 6, from 1983, consisting of four geometric elements around which you can turn. Two squares and two triangles of different sizes, presented like a family photo. The plan of the presentation is also inscribed on the back of the largest element.

Happy with the initiative of the Maison de la culture Marie-Uguay to pay tribute to him, Mr. Tousignant? “Well yes, it’s good, it’s good, it comes late, but it’s good! he replies, adding that the exhibition with the Quebecor group, which has been delayed for two and a half years, should take place next year.