Napoléon Bourassa (; October 21, 1827 – August 27, 1916) was a prominent
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
architect, painter and writer whose offices were located in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
.
Early life and training
Born in
L'Acadie, Quebec
L'Acadie () is a List of former municipalities in Quebec, former municipality in the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada, on the west side of the Richelieu River, across from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. It was about 30 miles (50 km) ...
, he studied at
Sulpician College in Montreal. In 1848, he interned with
Norbert Dumas Norbert Dumas (October 22, 1812 – April 19, 1869) was a lawyer and political figure in Canada East. He represented Leinster in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1848 to 1851.
He was born in Terrebonne, the son of Antoin ...
in preparation for a legal career, but then chose to become a painter and studied with
Theophile Hamel
Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (''theós'', "God") and φιλία (''philía'', "love or affection") can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend ...
from 1850 to 1852.
He continued his education by visiting Paris, Rome and Florence accompanied by the German painter
Johann Friedrich Overbeck
Johann Friedrich Overbeck (3 July 1789 – 12 November 1869) was a German painter and a founder of the Nazarene art movement.
Early life and education
Overbeck was born in Lübeck in 1789. His family had been Protestant pastors for three genera ...
, a member of the
Nazarene movement
The epithet Nazarene was adopted by a group of early 19th-century German Romantic painters who aimed to revive spirituality in art. The name Nazarene came from a term of derision used against them for their affectation of a biblical manner of c ...
. After this he established his art studio in
Montebello.
Practice
Bourassa founded and directed the
Canadian Journal
The Royal Canadian Institute for Science (RCIScience), known also as the Royal Canadian Institute, is a Canadian nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting the public with Canadian science.
History
The organization was formed in Toronto as t ...
and became vice-president of the
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (, ) is an institution in the Canadian province of Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. It is known as the oldest patriotic association in ...
. He resided on 430 Rue Bonsecours Montreal. Bourassa had several associates who became famous, including
Louis-Philippe Hébert
Louis-Philippe Hébert (; 27 January 1850 – 13 June 1917) was a Canadian sculptor. He is considered one of the best sculptors of his generation.
Career
Hébert was the son of Théophile Hébert, a farmer, and Julie Bourgeois of Ste-Sophie d ...
,
François-Édouard Meloche and
Olindo Gratton Olindo is a given name. Notable people with the given name include:
* Olindo Guerrini (1845-1916), Italian poet
* Olindo Iacobelli (born 1945), Italian racing driver
*Olindo Koolman (born 1942), Aruban politician
*Olindo Mare
Olindo Franco Mar ...
. He also sculpted the bust of his father-in-law
Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau (; October 7, 1786 – September 23, 1871), born in Montreal, Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the ''seigneurie de la Petite-Nation''. He was the leader of the reform ...
.
He designed the "Chapelle Notre-Dame de Lourdes de Montréal" and the "Institut Nazareth et Louis Braille". One of his most familiar paintings is ''The Apotheosis of Christopher Columbus''.
In 1877, he was a member of a commission of inquiry of the government of Quebec and went to France to study the organization, the functioning and the teaching methods of the schools of arts and crafts and the schools of drawing applied to industry, architecture and mechanics.
In 1880, he founded the
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...
with his fellow artists. He consulted in 1883 for the construction of a building to house the
Legislative Assembly of Quebec
A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...
.
He died August 27, 1916, in
Lachenaie. His daughter Adine published his correspondence in 1929. The "Fund-Napoleon Bourassa" was created in his honor at the
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...
.
[ His works were exhibited at Galerie ]L'Art français
Valentin Gallery is an art gallery in Quebec. Created in 1934, it was first called "L'Art français" and had its start on Laurier Street in Montreal. Owners Lucienne (1900-1992) and Louis (1890-1956) Lange initially showed works by French artis ...
Family
Napoléon Bourassa was married to Azélie Papineau, the daughter of the Quebec politician Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau (; October 7, 1786 – September 23, 1871), born in Montreal, Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the ''seigneurie de la Petite-Nation''. He was the leader of the reform ...
. One of their sons was Henri Bourassa
Joseph-Napoléon-Henri Bourassa (; September 1, 1868 – August 31, 1952) was a French Canadian political leader and publisher. In 1899, Bourassa was outspoken against the Government of the United Kingdom, British government's request for Cana ...
, a journalist and the founder of the newspaper ''Le Devoir
(, ) is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910.
is one of few independent large-circulation newspapers in Quebec ...
''.
Works include
* Dominican convent of Saint-Hyacinthe
* Chapel of the Ladies of Sacred Heart
* Chapelle Notre Dame de Lourdes de Montréal
* Chapelle du Manoir Louis-Joseph Papineau
* Church of Montebello, Quebec
Montebello () is a Municipality (Quebec), municipality located in the Papineau Regional County Municipality of Western Quebec, Canada. At the 2021 census, there were 934 permanent residents. The village has a total area of , and is located at the ...
* St. Anne Shrine (Fall River, Massachusetts)[https://www.st-annes-shrine.org/ St. Anne Shrine, Fall River]
* Church of Saint-Hugues
* Church of Saint-Ours
* Renovation of the Saint Hyacinthe the Confessor Cathedral of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Saint-Hyacinthe ( , ) is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérégie r ...
Honours
* Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880.
History 1880 to 1890
The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria on 16 ...
References
Further reading
* Vézina, Raymond. ''Napoléon Bourassa (1827-1916): 60th Anniversary''.... The exhibition and his
His or HIS may refer to:
Computing
* Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company
* Honeywell Information Systems
* Hybrid intelligent system
* Microsoft Host Integration Server
Education
* Hangzhou International School, ...
catalogue were prepared by Raymond Vézina. ttawa, Ont. Public Archives Canada, 1976. Title also in French; texts printed, tête-bêche, in English and French. Without ISBN
External links
Historic Places of Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourassa, Napoleon
1827 births
1916 deaths
Canadian ecclesiastical architects
Architects of Roman Catholic churches
Architects from Quebec
Museum founders
People from Montérégie
Architects of cathedrals
19th-century Canadian philanthropists