Médard Bourgault: Québec Folk Art Reaching the Level of Auguste Rodin

A Self-Taught Artist Rooted in Rural Catholic Québec

Médard Bourgault (1897–1967) was a self-taught Québec sculptor from Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, a rural Catholic village on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River(1). Born into a modest family of carpenters and sailors, he learned woodcarving on his own, drawing on the artisanal knowledge of his community. As a young man, he was encouraged by a local penknife carver (Arthur Fournier), then noticed in 1930 by the anthropologist Marius Barbeau, who bought several pieces and introduced him to cultural circles(2).

Thanks to this recognition—and to the rise of tourism along the St. Lawrence during the Great Depression—Bourgault began selling his sculptures to visitors, even setting up a small stand in front of his house to display his work(3). His carved scenes of traditional life quickly charmed the public: he received an impressive number of commissions, which pushed him to refine and adapt his style while maintaining his independence(4). Together with his brothers André and Jean-Julien—also sculptors—he trained apprentices and helped turn Saint-Jean-Port-Joli into Québec’s “capital of woodcarving”(5).

Bourgault was deeply rooted in the Catholic Québec of the 20th century, a world where the Church and rural traditions shaped daily life. His personal faith was intense: early on, he decided to devote himself to religious art, both to serve the needs of the Church and to express his own spirituality(6). For more than thirty years, his sculptures reflected this deep faith and found their way into numerous churches and chapels throughout the province. This dual identity—self-taught rural craftsman and devout believer—defines Bourgault’s artistic path and the singularity of his work. Firmly anchored in his terroir, he drew inspiration from Québec’s traditional countryside and Catholic devotion, while aiming for a universal artistic expression.

Scenes of Faith, Sea, and Everyday Life Carved in Wood

Bourgault’s favorite themes reflect his environment and beliefs. His early works were inspired by the rural life he observed around him: farm families, loggers at work, scenes from the fields, ox-drawn sleds, farm dogs, and more(7). He was also drawn to subjects related to the sea and navigation, echoing his past as a sailor. He carved, for example, Gaspé fishermen pulling in their heavy nets, or schooner captains in slickers facing the river winds(8). One such maritime scene is the relief La pêche (1961)—a large pine panel showing three fishermen hauling a heavy net into their boat as seagulls circle above(9).

Through these peasant and maritime figures, Bourgault honored traditional trades and the simple life of mid-20th-century rural Québec.

In parallel—and increasingly with time—Bourgault turned to religious subjects inspired by his Catholic faith. He carved numerous representations of the Virgin Mary (such as Notre-Dame des blés and Notre-Dame des flots) as well as scenes from the Bible and the lives of saints(10).

Most notably, he excelled in creating Stations of the Cross: fourteen-panel relief cycles illustrating Christ’s Passion, highly sought after by expanding parishes of the 1940s and 50s(11). His wooden Stations of the Cross adorn several churches in Québec (Jesuit Chapel in Québec City, the church in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, etc.) and even religious communities outside the province(12). These sacred pieces—Madonnas, Crucifixions, saints—occupy a central place in his body of work(13).

Whether depicting a farmer sowing his field or Christ falling beneath the Cross, Bourgault worked primarily in wood (basswood, pine, walnut), sculpted in the round or in high relief. He practiced direct carving, attacking the block with his gouges without any mold or intermediate model. This artisanal approach gives his pieces a raw, living presence, where wood grain and tool marks contribute to the aesthetic. The warm material of wood—sometimes enhanced with early-period polychromy(14)—perfectly suits the popular and religious themes he portrayed.

A Sincere Technique and Deep Faith Serving Emotion

Despite being labeled a “folk artist,” Médard Bourgault developed a technique and style capable of conveying profound emotional force. His status as a self-taught artist, far from being a limitation, allowed him to sculpt with sincerity, free from academic conventions. He observed his subjects closely—whether a ploughman or Christ on the Cross—and extracted their expressive essence rather than anatomical precision. His works privilege expressive strength over academic detail.

As Rodin himself said: “A good sculptor (…) does not merely represent the muscles, but the life that warms them.”(15)

Bourgault’s spirituality is a central driving force of his art. His crucifixions, Madonnas, and saints radiate tangible devotion and humanity, touching the viewer deeply. This spiritual sincerity infuses his work with emotional gravity rarely found in so-called “naïve” art. His major reliefs are “deeply moving and show great sincerity toward life and society”(16).

On a compositional level, Bourgault displayed remarkable inventiveness for an artist without formal training. In his narrative reliefs, he used depth, perspective, and movement. In his Stations of the Cross, the arrangement of figures creates powerful dramaturgy. In his great cycle of panels on “Québec identity”—The Cradle of a People, The Pioneer, The Forge, The Burden of Wars, etc.—he built a true visual epic(17). Created during the Second World War, the cycle blends tradition and modernity(18).

Works of Striking Expressiveness, Worthy of the Great Masters

Stations of the Cross

Among the most striking examples are the Stations of the Cross carved for the Jesuit Chapel (Québec City) or Caraquet. The 12th station (Jesus Dies on the Cross) shows Christ with his head tilted toward his mother—a composition of great intensity(19).

One of his Stations of the Cross, commissioned in 1948, drew the attention of architects and connoisseurs of sacred art(20).

The Burden of Wars (1943)

A high relief in pine, often considered his modern masterpiece: a man bent beneath a bundle of weapons symbolizing collective suffering.

Experts have stated that the work “would fit perfectly alongside pieces by other great masters” in a modern art museum(21). It shares an expressive strength comparable to Rodin.

Marian Statues

Among his major pieces:

Recognition and Hierarchies: Rodin vs. Bourgault

Rodin (1840–1917) achieved international recognition—celebrated, honored, and exhibited in major museums(24)(25).

Bourgault, a rural autodidact, received primarily regional recognition(26)(27). His works were sought after, newspapers wrote about him, dignitaries visited his workshop, but he remained classified as a “folk artist.”

Cultural hierarchies favored artists trained in urban, academic environments. Yet, near the end of his life, Bourgault attempted more classical academic subjects such as The Three Graces and The Farewell Kiss(28)(29).

Rediscovering Bourgault

It is time to recognize Bourgault as an artist whose work carries universal significance. His sculpture transcends his milieu and addresses deep human themes.

It demonstrates that folk art can reach the same expressive heights as “cultivated” art. His sculptures today travel around the world(30).

By positioning Bourgault alongside Rodin, we affirm that artistic emotion has no passport.

Sources

Yves Hébert, « Médard Bourgault, pionnier de la sculpture sur bois », Le Placoteux, 5 février 2024. Jean-François Blanchette, Médard Bourgault et ses héritiers – Un siècle de sculpture à Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Société québécoise d’ethnologie, 2023. Jean-François Blanchette, « Médard Bourgault, maître d’art, 1930–1967 », Société québécoise d’ethnologie, 2021. Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec, fiches « Bas-relief (La pêche) » et « Station de chemin de croix (Jésus meurt sur la croix) ». Wikipédia, article « Médard Bourgault » (consulté en 2025). Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, notice « Auguste Rodin ». Ethnologie du Québec, « Les Trois Bérets et les ateliers de sculpture de Saint-Jean-Port-Joli », Rabatka, vol. 18, 2020.

Links

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medard_Bourgault https://ethnologiequebec.org/2021/04/medard-bourgault-maitre-dart-1930-1967/ https://leplacoteux.com/medard-bourgault-pionnier-de-la-sculpture-sur-bois/ https://www.septentrion.qc.ca/catalogue/medard-bourgault-et-ses-heritiers https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=234672&type=bien https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=231290&type=bien https://www.beaux-arts.ca/collection/artiste/auguste-rodin