Blanche Bolduc

 Creative instinct is something that cannot be taught but comes from the heart. This is the case with Blanche Bolduc. She began painting in 1966—before then, she was content to help her sister, Yvonne, with her artwork. After her first summer working, she exhibited in Quebec and Chicoutimi, and as a result of her zealous work her notoriety began to grow. Bolduc loved painting Quebec scenes, bringing them to life with characters inspired from everyday life. Her paintings move us to a secret world full of intensity. One has to admire the transparent purity of the atmosphere in her landscapes, the harmonious burst of colours and the detail in her backgrounds. The material, colour and subject matter give an impression of quick-wittedness with a strong sense of personal expression. Compositions like, Le temps des fêtes, succeed in presenting intense emotion on a simple canvas. Tiny silhouettes are brought to life. The backgrounds are worked like low-reliefs and increase the fine lines of these interesting works of art. The paintings of Blanche Bolduc, their subject and shades of colours, should be described with words reserved for the masterpieces of the great masters. Her canvases are executed with as much consciousness and minuteness as theirs. Sometimes an artist’s knowledge and habits are nothing more than learned formulas, routines and recipes. Bolduc does not use these methods. Her spirit is one of a master and her paintings are the proof.

Bolduc regularly exhibited in various galleries in Quebec and Ontario and had two exhibitions in France in 1972 and 1976, which gained her notoriety outside of Canada. She was awarded a silver medal from the Academy of Arts, Sciences and Letters in Paris in 1976. The work of Bolduc can be found in many public collections, notably at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the McCord Museum of Montreal, the Charlevoix Museum, McGill University, National Gallery of Canada and many personal collections.

Blanche Bolduc died after a short illness in February 1998. She was 90 years old.