Jean-Paul Riopelle 1923 - 2002

Private Collection, Alabama

Gilbert Edouard, Riopelle in Conversation, Concord, Ontario, 1995, p. 78

Riopelle's works tend to be categorized rather rigidly from the drip painting of the late 40's to the organized mosaics of the 50's and the looser abstractions of the 60's and 70's. When asked in an interview whether these groupings were deliberate for him, Riopelle responded:

I always hope that the painting I'm working on is my ultimate achievement. That is, the most beautiful, the best, the definitive painting. When I'm finished, I realize that it always resembles the one that preceded it, and that it's far from definitive, so I start another.

In 1974, Riopelle built a studio at Lac Masson in the Laurentians so he could spend part of year painting there. He had been back to Canada only for holidays since his departure for Paris in 1949. This painting, one of the first done back in Canada, combines aspects from all of Riopelle's periods and wonderfully represents the artist's progression and his endless quest for perfection.