Public Artwork
Le poète dans l’univers
Artwork creator(s):
Lauda, Georges; Pannier, Paul
Text author(s):
Crémazie, Octave; de Saint-Denys Garneau, Hector; Nelligan, Émile
Installation year:
1968 Description:
Three major Quebec poets - Émile Nelligan (1879-1941), Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau (1912-1943) and, of course, Octave Crémazie (1827-1879) for whom the metro station was named - are represented by iron masks and excerpts of their poetry. The dominant colours of this mural (blue, black and white) evoke the night sky, with curves reminiscent of the trajectories of celestial bodies. Signs of the planets are represented - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto - as well as signs of the Zodiac - Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn. With their unusual presence, all these symbols evoke the freedom of poetic inspiration and lyricism. Three excerpts from poems by Saint-Denys Garneau, Émile Nelligan and Octave Crémazie are engraved into the mural. Sculpted in metal, the faces of the poets stand out against the ceramic background.
Text of the artwork:
Tous ceux dont le coeur pur n'écoute
sur la terre
Que les échos du ciel, qui rendent
moins amère
La douloureuse voie où l'homme doit
marcher...
- Octave Crémazie
- « Les morts »
Ma pensée est couleur de lumières
lointaines,
Du fond de quelque crypte aux
vagues profondeurs...
- Émile Nelligan- « Clair de lune intellectuel »
A-t-on le droit de faire la nuit
Nuit sur le monde et sur notre
coeur
Pour une étincelle - Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau - « Faction »
Text theme:
Poetry
Artwork theme:
The Presence of the poetic spirit in the cosmos, represented by celestial colours and the astrological signs of the planets and the constellations of the Zodiac.
Dimensions:
Diameter:
9.8m Note(s):
Gift of the Caisse Populaire Saint-Alphonse-d'Youville on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its foundation.
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