Albert Rousseau (1908-1982)
He was born in the rural town of Sainte-Étienne-de-Lauzon, Quebec in 1908. He was always passionate about art, so in 1925 he enrolled in the Quebec School of Fine Arts, where he met many of his future lifetime friends. In order to subsidize his scholastic expenses, he began working at a hotel, where he was employed until he retired in 1965.
He either works from observation, or makes a preliminary sketch, and then fills in the color in his studio. It's there that his compositions come to life, often working on ten pieces at a time. He also held weekly gatherings and workshops there as well. Over wine, toast and cheese Albert Rousseau and many of his artist-friends, such as Marc-Aurèle Fortin, would gather to create and discuss art, and plan upcoming exhibitions.
In 1950, the Quebec Museum of Fine Art assembled paintings from 37 Quebec artists demonstrating the evolution of painting in Quebec since 1834. Albert Rousseau was one of them. This created much recognition and interest in the artist, and he was invited to exhibit in several venues in Canada.
Considered one of the top Quebec landscape artists, Albert Rousseau fell among the ranks of René Richard and Léo Ayotte. He believed in tirelessly working at his craft in order to evolve as an artist; he once declared to a journalist, "when you don't evolve, you die". Albert Rousseau lived a full life.
