Pierre Chatillon - THE QUEST FOR THE ABSOLUTE

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.

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