Œuvres d'art

René Richard has long been considered of iconic stature in Quebec, the province where he made his home, almost 30 years after he had arrived here in Canada from Switzerland with his father and mother. His legacy does include a strong and extensive body of work Richard executed in the Charlevoix area, which inspired him on his regular explorations into the local countryside , a kind of work which has influenced a number of artists painting in the picturesque Charlevoix county. Of Charlevoix he expressed the following :

"I settled down in Baie St-Paul in 1940…Clarence Gagnon, who came to visit had lived there 14 years! And myself? I would never leave this area….the Côte Nord, it’s a beautiful country. We are surrounded by forests. We leave by the Gouffre river. There are marvelous sights…The Laurentide Park is not too far away, up high, the Saguenay, it’s at the side, the river, the Chantier roads with wide open forest…..Now, I always work but more calmly. In the West, it was different, I had already sketched a hunter who was skinning a fox! One had to have a solid heart. I always work, yes. You see, a painter's work, it needs to be pursued !"( La Presse Montreal Jan 26 1963 interview with C Jasmin.)

And of his art he continued:

" My art? I look to communicate my great love of nature, of landscapes. That's all. Nature is important for every man whether or not he is a surrealist. Sometimes I do abstract. It's interesting. It needs to be organized, reasoned. It needs intelligence, even from a primitive painter. "( La Presse Montreal Jan 26 1963 interview with C Jasmin.)