This sculpture was inspired by Pierre Chatillon's 1974 novel,
La mort rousse (The Red-Haired Death). It depicts
the main character as a child, hoping to make time stand still,
who dreams of going on Lake St. Pierre at sunset to catch the
sun in his boat before it disappears into the night.
Given a fresh and unique look here, this theme is in fact a classic.
In Greek mythology, a hero named Prometheus - also known as "the
fire thief" - was said to have tried to capture the sun.
This solar quest is indeed one of humanity's oldest dreams. It
illustrates the desire to be eternal, for light to triumph over
darkness and for unconditional love to warm us like the heat of
the sun.
This theme also symbolizes the poet constantly striving to draw
closer to Beauty, to grasp it so as to grace his work with it.
The child's body cloaked in gold represents the poet transfigured
by his brush with Beauty.
The sculptors did not portray the child's facial features because
he personifies every man and woman in search of Happiness, of
the Absolute - each human being on the verge of achieving his
or her Ideal. And since La mort rousse is a great love
story, the sculptors have made the character's heart visible through
his chest.
This dream of capturing the sun is a recurring theme in Pierre
Chatillon's work. Look for it in his novel, Philédor
Beausoleil, in "Le Prince" (The Prince), a short
story from L'Île aux fantômes (Ghost Island)
and in "Port-Saint-François", a poem featured
in Le mangeur de neige (The Snow Eater).
This sculpture - made of steel, copper and brass - was created
by Nicolet artists Pierre and Sébastien Brassard, based
on an idea by Pierre Chatillon. The final coat was applied by
Trois-Rivières artist Pierre Landry.
It was donated to the Literary Park in 1998 by the Sisters of
the Assumption of Nicolet.
[ Back
to the park ]
