Woman guaranteed to stand the test of time

On paper, eight times the same face with perfect features. The woman remains smooth and smiling from her 20s to her 90s. Pascale Montpetit named this illustration Brushed aluminum woman guaranteed to stand the test of time. And I, like many, fell under the spell.

Before the Conservatory of Dramatic Art, Pascale Montpetit studied visual arts. However, although she has been drawing for 45 years, she has kept her production private for a long time. It was only with the pandemic that the actress, “seeking a window on the world”, began to publish her creations on social networks. A year ago, she had her first exhibition and at the same time learned to accept the idea that she had talent.

“These people who weren’t my friends weren’t buying my drawings to please me,” she says, almost embarrassed. So it was probably because they really liked it. »

I confirm to him between two sips of tea that there are many things to appreciate in his work. Personally, it is his way of presenting the state of woman that upsets me. I have the impression that with her nudes, she weighs on the sores that are the fear of old age, the pressure of the outside gaze and the quest for agency. I was also curious to know more about her approach, as International Women’s Day approached.

She smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

“Montaigne wrote: ‘When I dance, I dance. When I sleep, I sleep.” When I draw, I draw! I don’t want to say anything, I’m having fun.

— So, the named painting Behind the scenes of the female cast Presenting a woman as a piece of red meat doesn’t mean anything? »

Pascale Montpetit bursts out laughing before letting out a well-felt “Good…”.

She explains to me that she draws her nudes from live model workshops. After a three-hour session, she is often struck by a particular pose. She then puts this body on stage, as if her paper were a theater scene. And yes, his journey sometimes colors the picture.

“We are on a train that never stops,” she reflects. You don’t think about it when you’re young and that’s fine, but in my sixties, I started to recognize that I was changing. »

She adds that the typical heroine is often under 40 years old. The woman finds herself one day playing mother or neighbor, such is life.

Wouldn’t things be different if we had more films like the magnificent Good Luck to You, Leo Grande ? In this fiction by Sophie Hyde, Emma Thompson plays a 56-year-old widow seeking to discover the pleasures of the flesh. She exposes her naked body, revealing a beauty, a vulnerability and a thirst for existence that takes your breath away.

“What strikes me is that all naked bodies are beautiful,” Pascale Montpetit answers me. However, there are many girls who are in a civil war between their bodies and their minds. Maybe it’s like that for men too, I should talk more about it with them… When I drew the Brushed aluminum woman guaranteed to stand the test of timeI had just watched the documentary Be beautiful and stop talking by Delphine Seyrig. I told myself that what we want is impossible. As much for the viewer as the viewed. We don’t want to get old at all and it just can’t be done. »

We can slow down the process, however.

Pascale Montpetit was also recommended to have cosmetic procedures if she wanted to avoid losing roles.

“Quite frankly, if I had $30,000 to put into it and I was sure of the result, I would do it,” she admits bluntly. If I could make a pact with the devil to become younger again, I would too! »

Speaking of expressing yourself freely, Pascale Montpetit participated in the 12^e edition of Combat contre la langue de bois, in 2022. In her issue, she pointed out that if we count the age of dogs by multiplying it by seven, it is the same for actresses. At 63 years old, in the eyes of the industry, Pascale is really 441. Note that she finished this same number brand-new. A boldness that I find in her illustrations, although she believes she “remains harmless” in her art.

“I think a lot more than I show!” I don’t want to bother anyone, but I want to be seen. »

While no one dreams of being invisible, women often end up being invisible. I admire Pascale Montpetit’s resistance.

“Do you feel free, as a woman?

— Yes, as much as one can be free as a human being. We are all neurotic and stuck up. And that does not prevent the fact that there are still obvious inequalities. Injustice is my limit.

— Tell me, can you be in a good mood every day while being against injustice?

— I have a vital impulse that cannot be denied, but to be happy, you have to be very cunning. We have to turn our backs on certain things, make perpetual micro-adjustments and tell ourselves that sometimes it’s worth having the wind in your face. »

I love her so much.

To see the works of Pascale Montpetit, you can visit her joint exhibition with Angelo Barsetti from May 22 to 28, 2024 at Galerie Espace, in Montreal.