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Trajectories

We all have our own trajectories. Our lives are shaped by our identities, where we live and the decisions we make.

Trajectories can look very different—for example, migration refers both to the journey of humans across countries, and of birds across hemispheres.

 

Sometimes, choosing a trajectory can be a step toward freedom: like becoming an adult, leaving the family nest, and sailing off into this adventure called life! Whichever path we take, it will contribute to our life’s meaning.

 

Jean Paul’s life trajectory is fascinating. As a young man, he left for France, where he explored many different painting and sculpting techniques, evolving as an artist. Eventually, he took to the sea on his sailboat, the Serica, and visited many countries, including the Great North. Just like a migratory bird, Jean Paul was always taking off!

 

Until one day, journeys come to a halt. In 1992, Jean Paul was hit with the news of the death of painter Joan Mitchell, a woman with whom he shared over 20 years of his life. Jean Paul was propelled by a surge of creativity, and took flight, one last time: he painted an epic 30-piece fresco of his life, L’Hommage à Rosa Luxemburg, in one sitting. Through the objects and animals depicted in his paintings, Jean Paul brought past moments and friends to life.

 

What is left after our journeys come to an end? According to an Atikamekw saying, “we go where we’re from—the forest and the universe that surrounds it, Notcimik.” Jean Paul undoubtedly would have agreed with this vision of life after death. He passed away March 12, 2002, in his home on l’Isle-aux-Grues, an island in the middle of the Saint-Lawrence River, in the land of the snow geese.

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Complete a Project

The following three projects are all related to Trajectories.

"Today, Rosa Malheur is no more, and neither is Rosa Bonheur. All of the Rosas are dead."

Jean Paul Riopelle

Browse the works in the collection Trajectories

Jean Paul Riopelle, Hibou premier, oil on canvas, 40,5 x 30 cm (1939-1941) © Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle / Copyright Visuals Arts – CARCC (2023)
Jean Paul Riopelle, Nature bien morte, oil on canvas, 46 x 61 cm (1942) © Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle / Copyright Visuals Arts – CARCC (2023)
Jean Paul Riopelle, Paysage (Saint-Fabien), oil on canvas mounted on cardboard, 25 x 30 cm (c. 1944) © Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle / Copyright Visuals Arts – CARCC (2023)
Jean Paul Riopelle, Sans titre, oil on canvas, 25 x 30 cm (c. 1944) © Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle / Copyright Visuals Arts – CARCC (2023)
Jean Paul Riopelle, Sans titre, oil on canvas, 35 x 27 cm (1949-1950)  © Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle / Copyright Visuals Arts – CARCC (2023)
Jean Paul Riopelle, Au pays de l’Héliante, oil on canvas, 81 x 355 cm, triptych (1974 © Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle / Copyright Visuals Arts – CARCC (2023)
Jean Paul Riopelle, La Roue (Cold dog – Indian Summer), oil on canvas, 250 x 300 cm (1954-1955) © Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle / Copyright Visuals Arts – CARCC (2023)
Jean Paul Riopelle, Sous le mythe de Gitskan 3, Gouache on paper, 73,7 x 106,8 cm (1956) © Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle / Copyright Visuals Arts – CARCC (2023)
Jean Paul Riopelle, Petit paysage de Saint-Fabien, oil on canvas, 15 x 18,5 cm (1944) © Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle / Copyright Visuals Arts – CARCC (2023)
Jean Paul Riopelle, Jardin nocturne, watercolor and ink on paper, 21 x 26,5 cm (1947) © Estate of Jean Paul Riopelle / Copyright Visuals Arts – CARCC (2023)

Discover photos

Anna Riopelle, vers 1904, archives Yseult Riopelle
Jean Paul Riopelle enfant, vers 1926, archives Yseult Riopelle
Riopelle enfant avec son père Léopold Riopelle, vers 1927, archives Yseult Riopelle
Riopelle au retour de la pêche, vers 1928, archives Yseult Riopelle
Riopelle, vers 1933, archives Yseult Riopelle
Riopelle, vers 1940, archives Yseult Riopelle
Riopelle, vers 1940, archives Yseult Riopelle
Riopelle à Saint-Fabien-sur-Mer, vers 1941, archives Yseult Riopelle
Riopelle devant Nature bien morte, 1943, archives Yseult Riopelle
Riopelle en canot à Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon, juin 1943, archives Yseult Riopelle