__notoc__   thumb|paul-Ãmile borduas thumb|la place paul-Ãmile borduas vue de la rue saint-denis  paul-Ãmile borduas (november 1, 1905 â february 22, 1960) was a quÃ©bec painter known for his abstract paintings. he was also an activist for the separation of church and state, especially for art, in quebec. borduas was born on november the first, 1905, in saint-hilaire, quebec (a small village 50 kilometers from montrÃ©al). he was the fourth child of magloire borduas and Ãva perrault. as a child he engaged in bricolage - his first known artistic activity. he received five years of formal elementary school education, (which ended at the age of twelve) and some private lessons from a village resident. fortuitously, borduas met ozias leduc in the winter of 1921-1922, and leduc agreed to take the young artist under his wing. at the age of sixteen he became an apprentice to ozias leduc, who was a church painter and decorator. leduc provided borduas with a basic artistic training, teaching him how to restore and decorate churches. leduc arranged for borduas' instruction at the Ãcole technique, in 1919, in sherbrooke, quÃ©bec. in 1923, assisted by a scholarship leduc had secured for him, he enrolled in the Ãcole des beaux-arts de montrÃ©al, continuing to work for leduc at the same time. he received prizes for his paintings at both of these institutions. despite discord between borduas and the school administration, he continued his studies at leduc's urgings.. upon graduation in 1927 borduas was hired by the montrÃ©al catholic school board as a high school art teacher. in january 1929 he began studies at the ateliers d'art sacrÃ© in paris, which he left to pursue church decoration work of rambucourt, in the meuse valley, with pierre dubois in april. he returned to saint-hilaire in june 1930 (his funds being depleted), began teaching part-time, and in 1933 returned to teaching high school for the catholic school board of montrÃ©al. in 1937 borduas began teaching at l'Ãcole du meuble. this was an important time in borduas' life: Â«by meeting young men of his own generation with the same 
1905_births 1960_deaths 20th-century_Canadian_painters Abstract_expressionist_artists Artists_from_Quebec Exiles Modern_painters People_from_MontA(c)rA(c)gie