Artist in Montreal
1954
30 min
Coming soon
This short film introduces us to the "automatistes," followers of an abstract art form that developed in Montreal. The movement, initiated by Paul-Émile Borduas, is explained by the artists themselves when narrator Bruce Ruddick drops in at their cooperative studio. The film also captures painter Paterson Ewen at his home and joins the crowd at L'Échouerie, the artists' rendezvous spot. Dr. Robert Hubbard, chief curator of the National Gallery of Canada, comments on non-objective art in general and automatism in particular.
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On the Spot1950 20 filmsThe first NFB series made specifically for television, On the Spot consisted of 15-minute documentary reports (which later ran 30 minutes) on different aspects of life in Canada.
Details
This short film introduces us to the "automatistes," followers of an abstract art form that developed in Montreal. The movement, initiated by Paul-Émile Borduas, is explained by the artists themselves when narrator Bruce Ruddick drops in at their cooperative studio. The film also captures painter Paterson Ewen at his home and joins the crowd at L'Échouerie, the artists' rendezvous spot. Dr. Robert Hubbard, chief curator of the National Gallery of Canada, comments on non-objective art in general and automatism in particular.
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directorJean Palardy
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scriptJean Palardy
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executive producerRobert Anderson
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photographyWalter A. Sutton
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soundE.C.H. MuirJohn Locke
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editingDavid MayerovitchGwen Barnhill
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narratorBruce Ruddick
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producerRobert Anderson
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castRobert AndersonBruce Ruddick
Education
Ages 15 to 17
Arts Education - Visual Arts
Geography - Territory: Urban
History - Canada 1946-1991
What is automatism? Provide examples of Riopelle and Borduas’s work for the students to study and create a definition based on the similarities. Provide materials for them to experiment in the same style. How does this style of art reflect the times or Montreal at that time? Examine contemporary art styles and analyze according to the social/political/cultural climate in which they were created.
