Leo Ayotte

Leo Ayotte(born October 10, 1909 in Sainte-Flore, Mauricie, Quebec) is an oil painter and artist.

Training

He studied at the College Séraphique and at the Trois-Rivieres Seminary, and finally, Nicolet. However, he is a Self-taught in painting.

Artistic style

Ayotte engaged himself very early in the writing and in the composition of landscapes’ sketch. His love of nature and the wonder it creates for him, naturally brings him to the painting. The Self-taught never derogate from its unique style. Leo Ayotte often used a single brush to achieve a work. From a single stroke and spontaneity disconcerting, Leo Ayotte always succeeded his paintings at the first attempt, never had to make eternal touches like most painters. Except for his portraits, he painted without drawing because he took time to observe his subject before starting to paint. The bold and lively colors that emerged from the brush inspired the subjects he knew in capturing the essence like no other. His colorful landscapes are real hymns to nature. His still lifes and portraits always charged with emotions complete his work and lead him as a major artist in Quebec.

Career

Born in a family of modest means, he began his studies at the College Séraphique and at Trois-Rivieres Seminars, and finally, in Nicolet. Bad student, he abandoned his studies at the end of his rhetoric and began to compose poems and painting. Trained to drink during his studies by a priest unconscious harm that it would cause, he learned early on to "lift the elbow." Although his parents are concerned for their future, they recognize his talent and encouraged him. A family’s friend, Raoul Blanchard, geographer, advised him to enroll in the School of Fine Arts. In 1938, without a penny, he moved to Montreal on Sainte-Famille street and worked as a model at the School of Fine Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts. This enables him to hear from teachers and pupils and to be engaging as janitor by the director Charles Maillard who also asked to monitor the work practices. Not being registered, it can not follow the lessons, but his work allows him to listen to the advice of teachers to students. Without money, it also picks up the half-empty tubes left by careless students and uses them to paint. The director Maillard tell him later after he saw one of his paintings: "You are my best student." Long neglected by the official critics, he opened himself in its 4076 workshop of the alley Saint-Christophe where he spent 29 years of his life. A brilliant speaker and appreciated by all, he can earn enough money to fulfil his dream of visiting France. In July 1962, he went therefore visit the Louvre Museum, which moved to tears, visit his friend François Hertel as Robert Roussil sculptor and painter Jean Dallaire. He ended his trip on the French Riviera where he spends a lot of time painting with his niece Louise Ayotte Helena who has just been awarded the Consul of France at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. After a year in France, he returned to the country and until 1975, he participated in numerous exhibitions throughout Quebec. Suffering from cancer, it is transported on December 18, 1976 at the Hospital of Saint-Hyacinthe where he died three days later on December 21, 1976.

Galleries

Michel-Ange and usually in the most important galleries of Quebec and Canada

Literature

Among other things, Signatures, Ayotte, mon Québec, Le Guide Vallée (1983, 1989 and 1993), Le Collectionneur, Investir dans les œuvres d’art, Le paysage dans la peinture au Québec.

External links

* [http://www.michel-ange.net/artiste.php?icontact=1001&specials=1&books=0 Galerie de Léo Ayotte]
* [http://www.michel-ange.net/ Galerie Michel-Ange de Montréal]