The Sombre Side

In August 2024, when Roseline and I inventoried Marcelin’s remaining artworks, Marcelin’s expansive use of colour was clearly evident. This can be seen in some of the paintings shown in the Gallery section of this webpage and elsewhere if one searches the internet. The recent auction at Champagne Auctions in Montréal of two of Marcelin’s works (please see my blog posting from September 21, 2025) reminded me that Marcelin also produced some sombre paintings. “Materre”, which sold, reminds me of a hole in the ground that a soil scientist would dig to expose the soil profile for classification - hence the name, "ma terre".

One painting that I remember from 1978, “Nuitnid”, is in the Collection Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) (https://macrepertoire.macm.org/oeuvre/nuitnid/). A similar but smaller painting (52 x 92 cm) entitled, “Gaspard” that was also painted in 1978, had a permanent place on Marcelin’s and Roseline’s living room wall. Marcelin returned to this theme in 1980 when one of our neighbours in our apartment building was killed in the Irpinia earthquake in Italy that occurred on November 23, 1980. As I recall, the painting was named after our neighbour’s village where she had gone for a family visit, but I don’t remember the name of the village. I believe the painting was sold to a private collector.

In the late 1980s, Marcelin and Roseline went to Vancouver to visit Marcelin’s mother who was living there at the time. Vancouver inspired a number of paintings that Marcelin called his “Vancou” series. One example in the MAC collection is, “Vancou-4-Bis” (https://macrepertoire.macm.org/oeuvre/vancou-4-bis/) which has a colourful focus over a black background. Another example from around this time is “Okako II” (Fig. 1). Although undated it was exhibited at the Galerie Frédéric Palardy, Montréal in 1990 (please see Articles and Reviews for the brochure). “Palimpseste” (Figs. 2 and 3) is also undated, but I have in my records that it was painted in 1981. Palimpsest is where text has been scraped off and written over, on parchment for example. Roseline told me that, “Palimpseste” was unique amongst Marcelin’s work.

Fig. 1. Okako II. 1989. Acrlic/collage on canvas. 72.4 x 90.9 cm (28.5 x 35.8 inches). (Private collection).

Fig. 2. Palimpseste. 1981. Acrylic/collage on canvas. 156.8 x 131.4 cm (61.8 x 51.8 inches). (Private collection).

Fig. 3. Palimpseste (detail). Detail of collage and other techniques.

Of all of Marcelin’s paintings that I have seen is, “Odranoel” (Ode à Leonardo), painted in 1999, is perhaps the most ominous (Fig. 4). I have no idea what inspired such a dark image of Leonardo da Vinci in Marcelin’s mind; perhaps it was the Turin portrait (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Man_in_Red_Chalk). In his book, “Leonardo da Vinci”, Walter Isaacson (2017) describes the drawing this way,

“… It shows an old man with flowing beard, waves of curly hair, and bushy eyebrows. Crisp lines of hair are juxtaposed with the sfumato softness of the cheeks. The nose, subtly shaded and modeled with curved and straight hatch lines, is distinctively hooked, though not as pronounced as in Leonardo’s nutcracker-man sketches. Like many Leonardo works, the face displays different mingled emotions each time you look at it: strength and vulnerability, resignation and impatience, fatalism and resolve. The tired eyes are contemplative, the down-turned lips are melancholy.”

Fig. 4. Odranoel. 1999. Acrylic/collage on canvas. 138.4 x 137.2 cm (54.5 x 54 inches). (Private collection).

Isaacson says that da Vinci was 60 when the portrait was done. Marcelin was 79 when, “Odranoel” was painted. In “Odranoel”, a face with a large, course nose and a heavy-set brow is clearly visible. Eye sockets are present, and the “eyes” seem to look off to the subject’s left as is the case with the subject of the Turin portrait. Marcelin’s Leonardo appears to be wearing a hat. Colour, mostly reddish, orange, and purple hues can be seen in this painting (Fig. 4) . Marcelin’s 1951 self-portrait (Fig. 5) that appeared on the cover of Art News and Review (Vol. X, No. 6, April 12, 1958 – please see Articles and Reviews) was pretty dark and brooding and not very flattering for someone who, judging by photos from that period, had movie-star good looks. What is not visible in the Arts News and Reviews article but can be seen in the original sketch is some blue in Marcelin’s eyes (Fig. 6). Marcelin did not have blue eyes.

Fig. 5. Marcelin Cardinal - self portrait. 1951. (Artist's estate).

Fig. 6. Marcelin Cardinal - self portrait (detail). 1951.

I would like to remind everyone that I am not an art expert, nor do I profess to be one. I only write these blogs to record some of my experiences, remembrances, and observations during the many years that I was friends with Marcelin and Roseline before these memories are lost and gone forever. Yesterday, October 25, 2025, marked 6 years since Marcelin’s passing.

With best wishes,

Christopher Lucarotti

Reference

Isaacson, W. 2017. Leonardo da Vinci. Simon and Schuster, New York, New York. 599 pp.

Marcelin Cardinal. 1920 - 2019. (Photo courtesy of Roseline Cardinal's family).

Man with flowers. 1948. Casein on paper. (Private collection).