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Blossoming (Épanouissement), 1956

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas of randomly placed brown, black, and yellow brushstrokes on a white background.

Paul-Émile Borduas, Blossoming (Épanouissement), 1956, oil on canvas, 129.9 x 195 cm, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal.

Blossoming, created soon after Borduas settled in Paris, overtly expresses an adherence to what the critic Clement Greenberg called “American-type painting.” In Paris, Borduas felt more and more American, or at least North American, and less French. The painting is a testimony to the impact that New York painting had had on him, and it distances him definitively from the Automatism of the 1940s: this new adventure began to follow a different path.

Gallery

Painting by Paul-Émile Borduas of a sparrow hawk with its wings outstretched. It is standing on top of a dead seagull on a rocky shore with water and hills in the background.

Study of a Sparrow Hawk in a Decorative Landscape (Étude d’un épervier dans un paysage ornemental), c.1923–24

Painting by Paul-Émile Borduas, done in a Cubist style, of a woman playing a mandolin with her breasts exposed. In the background is a decorative pattern made of green diamond shapes.

Woman with a Mandolin (Femme à la mandoline), 1941

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas made of large green and white brushstrokes surrounded by red and black, evoking an open mouth.

Green Abstraction (Abstraction verte), 1941

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas of curvy overlapping shapes in grey, yellow, and blue that come together to resemble a female torso.

Study for Torso or No. 14 (Étude de torse ou N°14), 1942

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas consisting of thick vertical strokes of red and green paint appearing to float on top of a brown and blue background.

Leeward of the Island or 1.47 (Sous le vent de l’île ou 1.47), 1947

Abstract watercolour painting by Paul-Émile Borduas of overlapping organic shapes, painted in grey, with areas of red stripes to create depth.

The West Wing Brings Porcelain Chinoiseries (Le vent d’ouest apporte des chinoiseries de porcelaine), 1950

Abstract wooden sculpture by Paul-Émile Borduas of a tall, thin figure with a block head and arms clasped as if in prayer.

The Nun (La religieuse), 1951

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas of randomly placed brown, black, and yellow brushstrokes on a white background.

Blossoming (Épanouissement), 1956

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas consisting of large textured spots of black paint on top of a white background. One small diamond-shaped spot of black paint is above the others, centered near the top of the frame.

The Black Star (L’étoile noire), 1957

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas consisting of large areas textured black spots with a white background peeking through.

Composition 69, 1960

Painting by Paul-Émile Borduas of a sparrow hawk with its wings outstretched. It is standing on top of a dead seagull on a rocky shore with water and hills in the background.

Study of a Sparrow Hawk in a Decorative Landscape (Étude d’un épervier dans un paysage ornemental), c.1923–24

Painting by Paul-Émile Borduas, done in a Cubist style, of a woman playing a mandolin with her breasts exposed. In the background is a decorative pattern made of green diamond shapes.

Woman with a Mandolin (Femme à la mandoline), 1941

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas made of large green and white brushstrokes surrounded by red and black, evoking an open mouth.

Green Abstraction (Abstraction verte), 1941

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas of curvy overlapping shapes in grey, yellow, and blue that come together to resemble a female torso.

Study for Torso or No. 14 (Étude de torse ou N°14), 1942

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas consisting of thick vertical strokes of red and green paint appearing to float on top of a brown and blue background.

Leeward of the Island or 1.47 (Sous le vent de l’île ou 1.47), 1947

Abstract watercolour painting by Paul-Émile Borduas of overlapping organic shapes, painted in grey, with areas of red stripes to create depth.

The West Wing Brings Porcelain Chinoiseries (Le vent d’ouest apporte des chinoiseries de porcelaine), 1950

Abstract wooden sculpture by Paul-Émile Borduas of a tall, thin figure with a block head and arms clasped as if in prayer.

The Nun (La religieuse), 1951

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas of randomly placed brown, black, and yellow brushstrokes on a white background.

Blossoming (Épanouissement), 1956

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas consisting of large textured spots of black paint on top of a white background. One small diamond-shaped spot of black paint is above the others, centered near the top of the frame.

The Black Star (L’étoile noire), 1957

Abstract painting by Paul-Émile Borduas consisting of large areas textured black spots with a white background peeking through.

Composition 69, 1960

Blossoming (Épanouissement) - Art Canada