Littoral – Un fleuve un regard
Jean -Thomas Bédard, multidisciplinary artist creates photographic paintings (digital images) from photos of the St. Lawrence River at low tide. The exhibit "Littoral - Un fleuve un regard" illustrate this subject.
The exhibition consists of some twenty photographic paintings (digital images), close-ups of natural, mineral and plant structures, taken on the south coast of the St. Lawrence estuary, where salt water mixes with fresh water, which favor two-dimensionality or bas-relief. Some of these images have the appearance of abstract paintings or even seek to blur our spatial references since within these images we can often see large spaces and even aerial views.
These images were captured between 2012 and 2018 between Islet-sur-Mer and Mont-Saint-Pierre, including Île-Verte and Île-aux-Lièvres, therefore, taken in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region and a part of the northern coast of the Gaspé Peninsula.
Originally from Lac-Saint-Jean, Jean-Thomas Bédard began drawing and painting at the age of 13. He discovered painters like Riopelle, Borduas, Picasso and especially Pellan who inspired him a lot. This led him to the School of Fine Arts in Montreal and then to the National Film Board of Canada where he became the director of animated films - for which he won 3 awards at international festivals, then documentaries. At the age of 32, he embarked on a year-long journey around the world where he was passionately devoted to photography. He puts together an exhibit on traditional lifestyles of Central America, the Pacific and Indonesia. In 1986, he became a trainer in animation cinema in Brazil. His career in documentary cinema continues with « La Traversée de la Nuit » (2nd largest audience in Quebec for a documentary), « Père pour la vie » and « Le Voyage inachevé », a career that ended in 2003. For 10 years, he has pursued a photographic exploration of materials and colors drawn from nature, mainly on the shores of the St. Lawrence estuary, which is his favorite place for organic compositions close to abstraction. He also creates complex photographic collages from images collected during his excursions in the St. Lawrence.
The opening will be held on Sunday July 4 at 2 p.m. The public and the press are cordially invited.