1942

The Automatist Years: 1942

January 11 - January 14

Participates along with Alfred Pellan and Louise Gadbois in the opening of the L'exposition des maîtres de la peinture moderne held at the Séminaire de Joliette and organized by Father Wilfrid Corbeil (Gagnon, 1978, p. 473; Écrits I, p. 30-31). Borduas exhibits:

No. 1 Abstraction verte, 1941
No. 2 Le Philosophe, 1941
No. 3 L’Ile fortifiée, 1941
No. 4 Harpe brune, 1941

February

Participates in the P.-É, Borduas, Marie Bouchard, Denyse Gadbois, Louise Gadbois, Alfred Pellan exhibition held at the Print Room of the Art Gallery of Toronto (Gagnon, 1978, p. 473; 1988 p. 473; Écrits I, p. 31). According to the published list, Borduas exhibits the following paintings at the event:

Nature morte aux oignons (rouges), 1941
Figure légendaire, 1941
Nu (de dos), 1941
Nature (morte) aux poires, 1941
Tête casquée (d’aviateur la nuit), 1941
Femme à la mandoline, 1941
Paysage (? Vue du Parc Lafontaine), 1941
Nature morte (fruits et feuilles), 1941

February 6 - March 2

Participates in the Canadian Group of Painters exhibition held at the Art Gallery of Toronto where he shows Harpe brune, 1941, (Gagnon 1978, p. 473).

March 7 - 29

Participates in the Canadian Group of Painters exhibition held at the Art Association of Montreal (Écrits I, p. 31); Borduas shows Harpe brune, 1941. This is likely the same exhibition as noted above (Gagnon 1978, p. 473).

April 25 - May 2

Solo exhibition of 45 gouaches at the Ermitage in Montreal under the title Œuvres surréalistes de Paul-Émile Borduas, (Gagnon 1978, p. 474); titles are listed as follows:

Abstraction no 1 (La Machine à coudre), 1942
Abstraction no 2, 1942
Abstraction no 3 (Phare l’évêque), 1942
Abstraction no 4 (L’itinéraire céleste), 1942
Abstraction no 5 (Combat de Maldoror et de l’aigle), 1942
Abstraction no 6 (Chantecler ou Tête de coq), 1942
Abstraction no 7, 1942
Abstraction no 8 (Le félin s’amuse), 1942
Abstraction no 9 (Léopard mangeant un lotus), 1942
Abstraction no 10 (Figure athénienne), 1942
Abstraction no 11 (L’Oiseau bleu ou Cimetière marin), 1942
Abstraction no 12 (Le Condor embouteillé), 1942
Abstraction no 13 (Taureau et toréador après le combat), 1942
Abstraction no 14 (Étude de torse), 1942
Abstraction no 15 (Arabesque), 1942
Abstraction no 16, 1942
Abstraction no 17 (Printemps), 1942
Abstraction no 18 (Toutou emmailloté), 1942
Abstraction no 19, 1942
Abstraction no 20 (Portrait de Mme B.), 1942
Abstraction no 21, 1942
Abstraction no 22 (Immobilité), 1942
Abstraction no 23 (Paysage marin), 1942
Abstraction no 24 (La Campagnarde à la tranche de melon ou Madone à la cantaloupe), 1942
Abstraction no 25 (Tête de cheval ou Fleur-âne), 1942
Abstraction no 26 (Don Quichotte), 1942
Abstraction no 27 (Dromadaire exaspéré),1942
Abstraction no 28, 1942
Abstraction no 29, 1942
Abstraction no 30 (Cri dans la nuit), 1942
Abstraction no 31, 1942
Abstraction no 32, 1942
Abstraction no 33, 1942
Abstraction no 34 (Un Picasso), 1942
Abstraction no 35 (Arlequin ou Pierrot), 1942
Abstraction no 36 (Deux masques), 1942
Abstraction no 37 (La Grenouille), 1942
Abstraction no 38 (Mandoline), 1942
Abstraction no 39 (La Madone aux pamplemousses ou Chevalier moderne), 1942
Abstraction no 40, 1942
Abstraction no 41, 1942
Abstraction no 42 (Les Trois Formes hérissées), 1942
Abstraction no 43, 1942
Abstraction no 44 (Arlequin), 1942
Abstraction no 45 (Le Rêveur violet), 1942

Borduas meets Claude Gauvreau, (Écrits I, p. 31).

September 18 - November 8

Participates with 37 Canadian artists in the traveling exhibition Aspects of Contemporary Painting in Canada organised by Bartlett Hayes Jr. at the Addison Gallery of American Art. First presented in Andover (Mass.), this exhibition circulates until December 1943 to eight other American cities (Écrits I, p. 31): Northampton (Mass.); Washington (D.C.); Detroit (Mich.); Baltimore (Maryland); San Francisco (Calif.); Portland (Oregon); Seattle (Wash.) Toledo (Ohio), (Gagnon, 1978, p. 474; 1988, p. 469). Borduas exhibits:

No. 3 Nature morte aux oignons, 1941
No. 4 Abstraction no 13, 1942
No. 5 Abstraction 14, 1942

November

Publishes Fusain in Amérique française; the article discusses a work by painter Jacques De Tonnancour (Écrits I, p. 31).

November 8 - 29

Participates in the traveling exhibition Contemporary Arts Society. First presented in Montreal in the Lecture Hall (or Galerie des Arts) of the Art Association, this exhibition circulates to Ottawa, Kingston and Quebec City through April 1943 (Écrits I, p. 31; Gagnon, 1978, p. 474; 1988, p. 470). Borduas exhibits:

Tête casquée, 1941
Nature morte (feuilles et fruits), 1941
Gouache no 48, 1942
Femme à la mandoline, 1941

Only Tête casquée and Gouache no 48 are exhibited in all venues.

November 10

Conference for the members of the Société d'étude et de conférences titled Des mille manières de goûter une œuvre d'art is held at the Prince-of-Wales Salon of the Windsor Hotel (Écrits I, p. 31).

November 24 - December 31

The exhibition Aspects of Contemporary Painting in Canada organised by Bartlett Hayes Jr. and first presented in 1942 in Andover (Mass.) at the Addison Gallery of American Art), shows in Northampton (Mass.) at the Tryon Art Gallery of Smith College The exhibition then travels to the following cities through December 1943: Washington (D.C.), Detroit (Mich.), Baltimore (Md.), San Francisco (Calif.), Portland (Oregon), Seattle (Wash.) and Toledo (Ohio), (Écrits I, p. 31; Gagnon, 1978, p. 474; 1988, p. 469). Borduas exhibits:

No. 3 Nature morte aux oignons, 1941
No. 4 Abstraction no 13, 1942
No. 5 Abstraction no 14, 1942

December 19, 1942 - January 14, 1943

The traveling exhibition Contemporary Arts Society (first presented in Montreal in November 1942 at the Lecture Hall (or Galerie des Arts) of the Art Association), is shown at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. The exhibition then travels to Kingston and Quebec City through April 1943 (Écrits I, p. 31; Gagnon, 1978, p. 474; 1988, p. 470).

Only Tête casquée and Gouache no 48 are exhibited in all venues.