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Composition 69, 1960

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

Paul-Émile Borduas, Composition 69, 1960, oil on canvas, 61.5 x 50 cm, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Composition 69 is considered Borduas’s last canvas. It was described by Jean-Paul Filion, the poet, singer, and writer: “I am led to see this final work as the illustration of a sort of despair experienced at the limits of the cosmos. Am I wrong in imagining that?”


We will never know what turn Borduas may have taken with his art; he died too young, just fifty-five years old. Could Composition 69 indicate an about-face? A step back from his exploration of black and white? Borduas’s oeuvre culminates in an enigmatic painting.

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

Composition 69 - Art Canada