Charles Édouard Masson Huot (6 April 1855 – 27 January 1930) was a

French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...

painter and illustrator.Dictionary of Canadian Biography: Huot, Charles
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Biography

Huot was born in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

, the son of a merchant. Having demonstrated a talent for drawing at an early age, he was enrolled in the when he was only ten. He later attended the . The local

Abbé ''Abbé'' (from Latin ''abbas'', in turn from Greek , ''abbas'', from Aramaic ''abba'', a title of honour, literally meaning "the father, my father", emphatic state of ''abh'', "father") is the French word for an abbot. It is the title for lowe ...

was impressed with his talents and set up a subscription committee to raise funds for him to study in Europe. In 1874, he moved to Paris, where he attended the

École des Beaux-arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

and studied in the workshop of Alexandre Cabanel. He participated in numerous exhibitions there (including the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

in 1876) and his painting of "The Good Samaritan" was purchased by

Patrice MacMahon Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de MacMahon, marquis de MacMahon, duc de Magenta (; 13 June 1808 – 17 October 1893) was a French general and politician, with the distinction of Marshal of France. He served as Chief of State of France from 1873 to 1 ...

on behalf of the French Government in 1878. He married Louise Schlachter in 1885, returned to Canada in 1886 on the promise of a large commission and settled in Quebec City.A Dictionary of Canadian Artists, volumes 1-8 by Colin S. MacDonald, and volume 9 (online only), by Anne Newlands and Judith Parker National Gallery of Canada / Musée des beaux-arts du Canada Back in Québec, his career truly began when he received that commission to decorate the in 1887. After a brief return to Paris to retrieve his wife and daughter, there were several more commissions of a religious nature. In 1903, he travelled to Europe with his family, visiting his wife's parents in Germany, and Italy, where he honed his skills studying with . He returned to Canada in 1904, alone. Details for this period in his life are rather sketchy. The following year, he rejoined his family in Brussels and lived in

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...

, France. In 1907, his wife died and he brought his daughter back to Canada. Le Conseil souverain - Charles Huot

The Parliament Building

In 1910, he was selected by a committee (consisting of

Thomas Chapais Sir Joseph Amable Thomas Chapais (March 23, 1858 – July 15, 1946) was a French Canadian author, editor, historian, journalist, professor, and politician. Born in Saint-Denis, Quebec (then Canada East), the son of Jean-Charles Chapais, a F ...

, Eugène-Étienne Taché and ) to compose two large historical paintings for the Parliament Building ("Sovereign Council" and the "Debate on Languages"), executed between 1910 and 1913, with an occasional break to do research. This produced another commission for a painting on the theme '' Je me souviens'' (Québec's motto) for the building's ceiling. It would take him another seven years to prepare and finish this work. At the time of his death, he was engaged in another large commission for the building, that had to be completed by his students. Among his illustrations are those for ''

L'Art d'être grand-père ''L'Art d'être grand-père'' ("The Art of Being a Grandfather") is a substantial book of poems by Victor Hugo, published in 1877. They were among the last he wrote. On 13 March 1871, Hugo's 44-year-old son Charles died of a stroke while riding i ...

'' by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

. He died in 1855 in Sillery.

References

External links

*
ArtNet: More paintings by Huot
*
Charles Huot et la peinture d'histoire au Palais législatif de Québec (1883-1930)
', Web Robert DEROME, professeur honoraire d'histoire de l'art, Université du Québec à Montréal. {{DEFAULTSORT:Huot, Charles 1855 births 1930 deaths 19th-century Canadian painters Canadian male painters 20th-century Canadian painters Artists from Quebec City 19th-century Canadian male artists 20th-century Canadian male artists Canadian alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts