After he retired as an art teacher in 1965, Jean Paul Lemieux could devote himself full time to his own artistic production. From May to November, he worked from a small attic studio in his residence on Ile aux Coudres, in the St. Lawrence River, with sweeping water views. During winter months, he and his wife resided in an apartment in the suburbs of Quebec City, where Lemieux also had a small studio.

In 1967, a major retrospective of the artist’s work was organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, traveling to the Musée de Québec and the National Gallery of Canada. Opened by none other than future prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the exhibition traced Lemieux’s evolution from the 1920s to the year of Expo 67 and confirmed his reputation as a painter. Additional honours, publications and exhibitions would follow, including a 1974 show that brought his work to the attention of Europeans.

Lemieux’s indelible style is exemplified by this dramatic three-quarter portrait executed at the start of his Expressionist period (1970 – 1990). Garçon au gilet rouge, as its title indicates, depicts a young boy in a crimson red top or sweater. His dark eyes are wide and gazing slightly askance, as if caught in a moment of surprise or wonder. The black background, like those questioning eyes, contrasts with the subject’s fair skin and long, exposed neck. With rich colouration, subtle shading and textural brushwork, Lemieux conveys in this refined portrait an impression of youth both forthright and hesitant.