Loyal – Rebellious
Tradition was a powerful force within Quebec society, shielding its citizens from outside pressures and influences. In time, however, certain values once considered immutable were called into question.
Faithful
“My goal? The Villeneuve legacy. I want to honour my father. Wherever I go, people are going to say, 'He's Mr. Villeneuve's son.' They won't say I'm Arthur's son, but rather the son of Mr. Villeneuve. ”
Michel Villeneuve
“I am very loyal to my friends and to people who gave me a chance, but above all to my family, which is the most valuable thing of all to me. If you try to attack any of them, you're going to have to deal with me.”
Michel Fedak
Rebellious
“Sometimes I'm rebellious. I rebel. When I paint brides climbing over a fence, tossing their bouquets into the wind, it implies that love is gone. It's gone. It's about divorce, because that touches me. It touches women. It touches all of us.”
Jacqueline Tremblay
“All my life I’ve rubbed elbows with hard science. What I find incredible about folk art is that if you feel like making a cat that doesn’t really look like a cat, it’s no big deal! You’ve got the scope to create — you aren’t limited to a specific style, you’ve got all the freedom you want. I don’t want limitations. I don’t want to be hemmed in. I don’t want to feel that I have to arrive at this or that result.”
Michel Fedak
Gallery
Loyal to the Family
Families were the traditional foundation of Quebec society, and every activity was organized around this enduring bond. For many contemporary folk artists, the family retains this central importance.
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Doll Cradle with Corner PostsChâteauguay, Montérégie
Early 19th century
Wood
Bequest of the Nettie Covey Sharpe Estate
CMCC 2002.125.18
The cradle is decorated with flowers at the head and a rooster at the foot. Flowers and rosettes have been carved into the sides with a wood chisel.
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0121-Dm
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Document Box
Vitale Pépin
1871
Wood
Bequest of the Nettie Covey Sharpe Estate
CMCC 2002.125.882
The lid reads, “Vitale Pépin, age 22, May 17, 1871,” with “Pray to God” carved into the front.
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0142-Dm
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Hermeline Laflamme at Two Years of Age Mélançon
1846
Oil on canvas
Bequest of the Nettie Covey Sharpe Estate
CMCC 2002.125.169
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0010-Dm
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Loyal to the Church
In the Quebec of a thousand church steeples, the Catholic faith was everywhere. Folk artists expressed this either simply or flamboyantly, introducing it into every aspect of their creations. Older, as well as more recent, works reflect Quebecers' loyalty to traditional religious values.
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The Holy FamilyFound in Saint-Narcisse-de-Beaurivage, Chaudière-Appalaches
1741
Painted wood
Bequest of the Nettie Covey Sharpe Estate
CMCC 2002.125.19 a–b and 20
It is not known whether the date “1741”, carved into the back of each figure, is original; however, this grouping probably does date from the eighteenth century.
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0120-Dm
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The Angel Gabriel André Parrot (1897–1974)
Lotbinière, Chaudière-Appalaches
Ca. 1950
Iron
Bequest of the Nettie Covey Sharpe Estate
CMCC 2002.125.1145
André Parrot was a very sensitive man. Tall, almost six feet. Very distinguished and dignified. And he always spoke very gently and quietly. I used to show him pieces in magazines that impressed me from Quebec, and tears would come into his eyes.
— Nettie Covey Sharpe
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0124-Dm
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“The Tree of Life”Missal Case
Napoléon Duhaime
Quebec City area
Late 19th century
Wood
Bequest of the Nettie Covey Sharpe Estate
CMCC 2002.125.344 a–b
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0122-Dm
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Writing CaseFound at Mashteuiatsh, Pointe-Bleue, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
Third quarter of the 19th century
Wood
Bequest of the Nettie Covey Sharpe Estate
CMCC 2002.125.974
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0117-Dm
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Crucifix19th century
Painted wood
Bequest of the Nettie Covey Sharpe Estate
CMCC 2002.125.43
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0002-Dm
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Crucifixes
Painted wood
Left to right:
Barnabé Guénette
19th century and beginning of 20th century
CMCC 2002.125.875
Unknown Artist
Charlevoix
Second half of the 19th century
CMCC 2002.125.220
Unknown Artist
CMCC 2002.125.895
Bequests of the Nettie Covey Sharpe Estate
Times have changed. Contemporary works suggest that Quebecers sometimes rebel against traditional values. After centuries of following the rules, today’s folk artists often like to stir things up, questioning everything.
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0141-Dm
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Rebel, Rebel
Times have changed. Contemporary works suggest that Quebecers sometimes rebel against traditional values. After centuries of following the rules, today's folk artists often like to stir things up, questioning everything.
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Jump
Jacqueline Tremblay (born in 1946)
Baie-Saint-Paul, Charlevoix
1982
Eggshells, acrylic paint on canvas board
CMCC 83-1943
This work is an expression of women’s liberation.
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0118-Dm
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The HorsesJacqueline Tremblay (born in 1946)
Baie-Saint-Paul, Charlevoix
1982
Eggshells, acrylic paint on canvas board
CMCC 83-1961
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0022-Dm
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The Beasts of My NightmaresJacqueline Tremblay (born in 1946)
Baie-Saint-Paul, Charlevoix
1979
Natural eggshells and eggshells blackened in the oven, cardboard, varnish
CMCC 82-312
These animals, stampeding out of the stable in spring, are a metaphor for human freedom, which, should we try to grasp it, can lead to nightmares.
Marie-Louise Deruaz
CMCC IMG2008-0080-0015-Dm
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Kuala ‘O’ Chair C.C. Ernest Lévesque (1938–2003)
Pierreville, Central Quebec
Ca. 2000
Painted wood
Musée québécois de culture populaire, Trois-Rivières
MQCP 2004.07.13
Marie-Louise Deruaz
SMCC IMG2008-0229-0001-Dm
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Mrs. Corriveau in a CageSaint-Michel-de-Bellechasse,
Chaudière-Appalaches
19th century
Wrought iron, wood
Nettie Covey Sharpe Collection
CMCC 77-1055
Marie-Josephte Corriveau was hanged in 1763 for killing her husband, and, in accordance with English practice, her body was displayed in a cage for several weeks. Her story later became legendary.
