ANTO RODIER
BIOGRAPHY
Born in 1950 in Saint-Hyacinthe, the artist now lives in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada. It was around the age of 12 that she was introduced to oil painting. Self-taught and classically styled, she perfected her training with various artists, then with academies. Since 1995, she has devoted herself entirely and professionally to painting.
She favors oil, but also uses watercolour, dry pastel and egg tempera. Expressing himself through different themes, we find in his scenes a great attention to detail and a lot of luminosity characteristic of his art.
She has several solos and duets to her credit. She has participated in several group exhibitions, including international ones, as well as several painting symposiums. She has earned recognition and several jury prizes including an illustration and national distribution in 2004. She is a professional member of various associations including the RAAV (Grouping of Artists in Visual Arts) since 1997 as well as the MAA (World Art Academia) since January 2020. She was elevated to Master of Arts in July 2021 in the United States. You can see his works in galleries, as well as in books, directories, magazines and art diaries, Télé-Québec and TVHR9 have also broadcast them. His paintings can also be found in private and corporate collections in Canada, the United States, France, Germany, England, Morocco and Japan.
Artistic approach
The painter Vermeer, after having studied it at the age of 18, marked me a lot by this light which resides in each of his paintings. Besides, I’m always fascinated by the orientation of light and the way it is projected and reflected on different surfaces (glass, water, ice, metal…).
My supports are generally cotton canvas, solid wood and wood panels, as well as acid-free papers. My mediums are more particularly oil which I prefer, but I also occasionally use watercolour, dry pastel and egg tempera. This last medium also pleases me because it allows me the work of preparing the board on which I will have to create my work.
Classical style, there is usually a long preparation before applying the paint, the study of the subject is important, as well as the drawing and the perspective. Subjects that particularly thrill me are horses, the architecture of old buildings, as well as night scenes. Perhaps a little dreamy, the sky has always attracted my attention and more particularly at night, which is why I try to represent it as realistically as possible, according to my perception.
My art is also my raison d’être where I never stop learning and evolving. I try never to set myself a barrier or limit in order to always produce new works that are close to my heart, and, according to the inspiration of the moment. For the future, I want to share with as many people as possible the luminosity of my creations, without ever ceasing to have fun and to blossom through this art which is my life.
In museum
Ephemerides of the work
In 2009, during a competition on the occasion of the 400th anniversary celebrations highlighting the passage of Samuel de Champlain in the region, the City of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada invited three artists to produce a model of 12in. X 48in. relating this event. The recipient’s work will be reproduced in a 7ft mural. X 32ft, on the wall of a residence adjacent to the Parc de la Place publique du Vieux-Saint-Jean – Rue Richelieu, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada.
After several hours of research, reading the writings of historians Nicole Martin Verenka and Réal Fortin and discovering photographs that can provide some benchmarks, the artist has spared no detail.
The work is composed of two very distinct parts connected by a wampum. The left section of the work shows Samuel de Champlain surrounded by French and Amerindians resting on the banks of the Richelieu River. We see wild animals and pines, thus recalling the writings of the famous explorer who mentioned having never seen such beautiful trees as at the site of Fort Sainte-Thérèse. The other part of the painting bridges the present and the past. Compass in hand, the man to whom we owe the founding of Quebec looks to the future. On the banks of the Richelieu River, we can see some of the buildings that shape the landscape today, while on the other side of the character, we can see the Amerindians heading towards Lake Champlain to fight the Iroquois.
The work of the artist not having been retained by the City of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu; the Fort Saint-Jean Museum is acquiring it so that the population can learn more about history through art. It is interesting to know that the work is now part of the huge collection of Her Majesty the Queen of England.