Emile Lessard. Painter. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Maskinonge, Quebec. Active mid 20th century.
Emile Lessard was a naive artist. He made paintings of the Quebec landscape and was a sculptor of animals, boat models and some life-sized animal carvings for his yard.
Emile Lessard was known for his ‘maquettes’ or models of famous scenes and also local ones in his village and around the countryside. Maquettes of his ‘Birth house’, ‘The three mills of Maskinonge’, a ‘Barn at Yamachiche’ among many others. As a self-taught artist he mastered many techniques using every day materials to achieve his works. He worked with wood, stone, brick, tin and other metals, glass and cement. He only signed his paintings; occasionally just putting his initials.
Ref: Jean Simard, Pour Passer Le Temps: Artistes Populaires Du Quebec, Gouvernement du Quebec, Ministere des Affaires Culturelles. 1985.
Ref:Kobayashi/Bird, A Compendium of Canadian Folk Artists (1985).
Ref:Blake McKendry, An Illustrated Companion to Canadian Folk Art (1999).
