Ozias Leduc (October 8, 1864 - June 16, 1955) is one of Quebec's early painters. He was born in Saint-Hilaire-de-Rouville. Leduc produced many portraits, still lifes and landscapes, as well as religious works. Biography Leduc was mainly self-taught. Around 1880, he worked with Luigi Cappello, an Italian painter, on church decorations. Around 1881, he was employed at Carli, a manufacturer of statues in Montreal. Around 1883, he worked with Adolphe Rho, decorating another church, this time in Yamachiche. After that, he started working on his own on church decorations. Leduc made a brief trip to Paris and London in 1897 with Suzor-Coté, where he was influenced by the Impressionists. Leduc lived a very solitary life in his home town and was dubbed "the sage of St-Hilaire". He received an Honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal in 1938. He was made a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. His legacy includes teaching Paul-Émile Borduas. He died in Saint-Hyacinthe in 1955. Works He is best known for his work decorating the Notre-Dame-de-la-Présentation church in Shawinigan South, Quebec, a project which took him thirteen years, until his death. The work was completed by his assistant, Gabrielle Messier. Notre-Dame-de-la-Présentation church was designated a National Historic Site in 2004 and a federal marker reflecting that status was erected at the church in 2005. Recognition On May 20, 1988, Canada Post issued 'The Young Reader, Ozias Leduc, 1894' in the Masterpieces of Canadian art series. The stamp was designed by Pierre-Yves Pelletier based on a painting "The Young Student" (1894) by Ozias Leduc in the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The painting shows the Ozias Leduc's younger brother, concentrating on a picture book, pencil in hand. The 50¢ stamps are perforated 13 X 13.5 and were printed by British American Bank Note Company. Leduc was named a National Historic Person on January 12, 2018. References Further reading Lacroix, Laurier. Ozias Leduc: Life & Work. Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2019. External links Images and galleries Gallery from the Canadian government's Cybermuse project. God Go With You from the Mackenzie Art Gallery. Still-life, Study by Candlelight. Boy with Bread. The Young Student (also known as The Young Reader). Information Short biography from the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec. Very short biography on virtualmuseum.ca's Horizons project. Short biography from the Elliott Louis Gallery. Biography and information on The Young Reader from Fisheries and Oceans