The MNA for Montarville, Mr Stéphane Bergeron, chose a work by the multidisciplinary artist Ms Isabelle Bourguignon to illustrate one of his greeting cards. “I fell in love with this painting entitled ‘October’, in which we see a small frog that seems to show a mischievous air, taking place in a phantasmagorical landscape inspired by nature, at the arrival of autumn is bald,” Mr Bergeron said.

“I found this painting very interesting at first glance in several ways. It struck me at first as both slimmed down and extremely complex in construction and simply magnificent. It also seems to give me hope, considering that in nature this emaciated branch should find one of the thickest leaves in spring. While the weather patterns of the past few weeks and the slew of bad news can dampen our spirits, this painting reminds us that bad days always give way to good weather! With this message, which inspires renewal, I wanted to illustrate one of my greeting cards,” added the Montarville MP.

“This painting is warm, with a look that is resolutely directed towards the future that we all hope will be brighter this year,” added Ms. Bourguignon, who has been passionate about the visual arts since a young age. Formerly a teacher at Artlequin art school and a specialist in graphics, she now owns the only tattoo studio in Sainte-Julie, where she literally works to bring her works to life.

“How could one see symbolism with political undertones, to pick up Mr. Bergeron, in this painting entitled ‘October’, which honors a frog! Not so long ago, our English-speaking compatriots did indeed call us “frogs”, perhaps to indicate that our French ancestors – and many still do today – reveled in the legs of this batrachian, or perhaps to recall once again that the three lilies, which appear on the coat of arms of Clovis and on that of all French kings after him, would, according to some authors, represent a graphic representation of the three toads that had previously adorned his shield. And the mere mention of the word “October” brings to mind the famous crisis of the same name, during which the father of the current Prime Minister of Canada deployed the army in Quebec with the unacknowledged aim of quelling the October “sovereignist movement”.

“Again, the message of hope conveyed by this canvas seems most appropriate to me. In these dark times, especially during the war in Ukraine, it is good for the heart and soul to be able to admire such works. Art and culture are real antidotes to gloom! However, the still-existing pandemic has made life considerably more difficult for the artists and deprived them of the possibility of visibility. I am therefore delighted to be able to offer our local artists, including Ms Isabelle Bourguignon, a showcase, either through greeting cards or by offering them the walls of the constituency office, to display the fruits of their labor and immense talent, things that have happened since my very first I worked on this almost three decades ago. And other projects aimed at supporting our artists in this way are still in the pipeline…” concludes Stéphane Bergeron.