What may seem at first glance to be a pair of comic statues in downtown Montreal are actually serious reminders of the long struggle in Quebec between Francophone Quebec nationalism and the former long-held power of English-speaking business communities.
The pair, by sculptor Mark A. J. Fortier, was installed in 2013 at 500 Place des Armes, a building that lies between two historically significant Montreal symbols.
At one end, a rather stuck-up Englishman, clutching his English pug, looks condescendingly at the Notre Dame Cathedral, symbol of power for Francophones and especially Catholics.
At the other, 210 feet away, a Chanel-clad elegant lady holds her French poodle, and looks up with distaste at the Bank of Montreal, symbol of Anglophone power.
But all is not what it seems! Although we’ve combined the two into a title image that says confrontation, when they are viewed in their actual orientation from a vantage point in the Place des Armes, it’s clear that whatever the people think, the dogs are attracted to each other! Another clarifying view…
Image modifications by Caitlyn Heymont
