The artwork of Borduas and of the Automatiste groupe was very raw and spontaneous. Each painting had different themes, motifs and emotions but the underlying idea for all of them was that art needed to be automatic to mean something and make an impact on the world.

Borduas wrote the total refusal which was a written manifest opposing Quebec culture. This manifest had a huge impact on Quebec's culture. It is said to be one of the causes of the quiet revolution. The quiet revolution occurred in the 1960's after the "grande noirceur" of the 1940's. This period was marked by drastic change in Quebec's culture

Childhood: Paul-Emile Borduas was a Quebec artist born in Saint-

Hilaire on Novemeber 1st, 1905 . He was the fourth child. His

father was Magloire Borduas, a carrier, and his mother was Éva

Perreault.  His first known artistic activity was bricolage. He only

received five years of primary school education- to age twelve.

When Borduas was sixteen he became the apprentice of Ozias

Leduc, a Quebec church painter. Borduas learned all of his basic

skills from Leduc. He also helped young Borduas get into the

Montreal fine arts school.

Backround: The Quebec in which Borduas lived in was vastly

different from modern-day Quebec. He began his work as  painter

in the 1940's. This period as marked by extreme conservatism and

religious ideas. The prime minister at the time,         was a religious man with questionable ideas .   His ideas where not questioned at the time. Borduas was one of the few who openly opposed the ideas represented in the time. As a painter, Borduas showed his opposition to the strict nature of his society through his artwork.

Influences: His mentor and teacher, Ozias Leduc as well as

Borduas had a tremendous influence of Quebec art as well as Quebec culture. In     , he created a group named the Automatists. The Automatists were a group of young artists with similar negative feelings towards Quebec's rigidness. They expressed their dissatisfaction through their abstract, surrealist art. The group\s main concept was that true art is automatic. Artists should not learn their techniques in an art school. Artists should not wait for inspiration to strike them. True art came without thought. It was free of inhibitions and worries as well as social norms. When an artist made an automatic art piece, they were learning about themselves in a way that would not be possible with though-out artwork. This kind of artwork allowed the artist to let their feelings, thoughts and emotions flow out in a truthful, natural manner.

Draw-bot

My experience creating the Draw-bot was quite interesting. I had never attempted to make a robot that can draw with such simple materials. Although I wasn't able to create a robot that easily drew n the paper, my partner and I came pretty close. I would like the opportunity to try making another rbot, now that I understand the concept

metro poem

strangers on the metro

fixing her hair in the reflection
open book, studying the most important section
baby held close to his chest
student wearing school's crest
looking down at the bright screen
what could their conversation mean
drinking coffee- dark roast
eating peanut butter on toast
We're on the metro for more than a mile
would it kill you to give a smile