Thought of Bowls (1936)
ALFRED
PELLAN
(1906
- 1988)
Alfred Pellan (Alfred Pelland) was born in Quebec City in 1906. His talent was apparent at a very early age. In 1920, he entered the École des Beaux-Art in Quebec City with whole-hearted support from his father. The faculty was so impressed with his hard work that they provided him with a key to the school studios to pursue his studies beyond the hours of regular classes. This is something that was unheard of at the time.
In 1925, Pellan won a poster competition and consequently received a bursary to study and paint in Paris. Pellan arrived in Paris in the early autumn of 1926, and he immediately enrolled in the École Supérieure Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Paris. Then he worked at the studio of Lucien Simon, considered to be the best teacher of painting at the time. Simon recommended Pellan for the school's first prize for painting. In 1936, Pellan's father persuaded him to return to Canada and apply for a teaching post at the École des Beaux-Arts de Québec. Officials at the school decided that his work was too modern and, therefore, an unacceptable influence on the students.
Among Pellan's followers was a young woman named Madeleine Polisena who attended the École des Beaux-Arts. Alfred and Madeleine were married on July 23, 1949. In 1951, he was awarded a Royal Society of Canada fellowship for research studies in France. After 1965, Pellan's awards were numerous because of a greater appreciation for his achievements in the visual arts.
Thought of Bowls (1936) |
