John A. Schweitzer, Montreal
Galerie Simon Blais, Montreal
Mayberry Fine Art, Winnipeg
Private Collection
Working in Montreal, Gervais was a follower of Paul-Émile Borduas and Les Automatistes, however was never a formal member of the group. Nonetheless, Gervais was a key fixture in the abstract painting movement during the 1960s in Quebec. The artist was concerned with the limitations of paint itself, opting for bold pigments with high contrast, creating energy in her works.
In “Les délices,” Gervais uses short bursts of layered colour, ranging from thin veils to opaque strokes of paint. Building on top of one another, each stroke of paint creates depth, movement and invigorating contrast of colour and complexity within the piece. In this early work, the viewer can see the foundations of the artists technique, focused on the limitations of the medium she developed throughout the 1960s. The liberation of painting is the central purpose of this work, breaking from narrative and landscape painting which dominated the dialogue of painting within Canada until this critical period of revolution in art history.
