Les masques, 1957

Gerard Gorce Fine Arts, Montreal Alan Klinkhoff Gallery, Montreal Private Collection, Ottawa

Jean-Philippe Dallaire was studying and working in Paris in the late 1930s, until he was placed in an internment camp for four years during the German occupation. At the end of the war, Dallaire returned to Canada, settling first in Quebec City where he taught painting at the École des Beaux-Arts from 1946-52. In 1952 he moved to Ottawa to work for the National Film Board, where he illustrated short films, and took on commissions for designing tapestries and murals. Despite his studies, Dallaire was mostly self-taught as an artist. He paid little attention to external trends, and his style constantly evolved. Dallaire’s works during the 1950s show varied stylistic influences and are recognized for their draftmanship and spontaneity in subject and use of colour. “Les masques” was painted in 1957, the year the artist moved from Ottawa to Montreal briefly, before permanently returning to Europe. The painting is an example of Dallaire’s highly original style, with loose stylistic links to Cubism and Art Brut in the lively, repeating lines. “Les masques” is also one of the painter’s most abstract; apart from its title, it has only subtle visual references to masks or facial features.