Claude Lafortune, 8e centenaire de la naissance de François d'Assise ("Fais de moi un artisan de paix), 1982

Claude Lafortune

8e centenaire de la naissance de François d'Assise ("Fais de moi un artisan de paix), 1982

Offset lithograph poster

Not Signed

23 1/2 × 12 3/4 inches

unframed

This rare vintage Canadian poster was published on the occasion of the 8th century birth of Saint Francis of Assisi (8e centenaire de la naissance de Francois d'Assise) on 1982.

About Claude Lafortune:
Claude Lafortune was born on July 5, 1936 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was an actor and art director, known for IXE-13 (1972), Pop Citrouille (1979) and Le carnaval des animaux (1978). He was previously married to Suzanne Côté. He died on April 19, 2020 in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada.
As a graduate of the École des beaux-arts de Montréal, Lafortune collaborated on many graphic design projects before he became famous for his paper art.
He had an exhibit devoted to his paper art work—titled Colle, papier, ciseaux—at the Musée des cultures du monde in Nicolet, Quebec. The exhibition has traveled to Longueuil, Montreal, Terrebonne, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Lachine, Chicoutimi, Bonaventure, La Malbaie, and New Brunswick.
He is the subject of Tanya Lapointe's 2020 documentary film The Paper Man (Lafortune en papier).

About Saint Francis of Assisi:
Francis of Assisi was an Italian mystic and Catholic friar who founded the Franciscans. He was inspired to lead a life of poverty as an itinerant preacher. One of the most venerated figures in Christianity, Francis was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 16 July 1228. He is usually depicted in a brown habit with a rope around his waist with three knots, symbolizing the three Franciscan vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
In 1219, he went to Egypt in an attempt to convert the sultan al-Kamil and put an end to the conflict of the Fifth Crusade. In 1223, he arranged for the first live nativity scene as part of the annual Christmas celebration in Greccio. According to Christian tradition, in 1224 Francis received the stigmata during the apparition of a Seraphic angel in a religious ecstasy.
Francis is associated with patronage of animals and the environment. It became customary for churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of October 4. He is known for devotion to the Eucharist. Along with Catherine of Siena, he was designated patron saint of Italy. San Francisco in California, United States, is named after him.

Publisher:
Secrétariat Du Comité Du Centenaire