Among its masterpieces, the MAJ counts several "still lifes". Borduas' Green Grapes was the first work to be included to the museum's vast collection in 1943.

 

A still life is a grouping of objects, often foodstuffs, that are displayed in a defined setting. This artistic genre reminds us that everything comes to an end and that we will all die one day. Despite the not-so-happy theme, the works often depict ripe fruit or an attractive meal and this has the effect of creating a rather enticing painting.

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We were inspired by the exhibition A Forest Song by the artist duo DaveandJenn to choose this month's theme. This exhibition, presented from February 5 to April 24, 2022, consists of an installation that combines video, sculpture and painting. It transposes visitors into a lush environment filled with exotic plants and animals. If this environment immerses us in a soothing or reassuring experience, it also hides a more worrying discourse. Indeed, this work addresses "the beginnings of an economy based on the large-scale circulation of goods and an inequitable relationship between colony and metropolis as well as between animals and human beings."