André Bertounesque is a Quebec painter of French descent born in 1937 in Sainte-Livrade (France) and died in 2005 in Laval, Quebec. Already passionate about art, André Bertounesque arrived in Quebec in 1951, where he worked in many trades while cultivating his passion for oil painting. A self-taught painter, Bertounesque set up a makeshift workshop at the bottom of his hair salon where he could paint during the slow times.
Bertonesque began his career as a painter by selling his works to his clients who were impressed by the talent of this sensitive artist. One quickly notices his mastery to render the light and the hushed and intimate atmospheres of the scenes he illustrates. The richness of his oil painting gave him a recognition that would not be denied throughout his career and even beyond. He also became the visual chronicler of his native southern France.
Provence, its colours and light become a favorite subject that brings the viewer to horizons while shimmering. Bertounesque's paintings remind us that the landscape and especially the love of nature, despite the proliferation of the genre, have few performers who really move us. He paints scenes bursting with light, natural places discreetly animated by graceful figures, where the green carpet of the ground, the trees with large arms laden with shade and clarity, and some nearby water, invite pleasure and relaxation. The artist has attained a mastery that allows him to express his particular poetry frankly and generously. André Bertounesque's work is now part of Quebec's artistic heritage and is present in several major collections around the world.