"Louis Riel, Patriot'.
Robert Freynet is a visual artist from Canada. As a comic artist he is best known for his biographical comics about several important people from Canada's history.
Early life and career
He was born in Sainte-Anne-des-Chênes, near Winnipeg, and studied drawing and comics at the Bordeaux International School in France from 1979 to 1982. He has been working as as an artist, painter and illustrator since 1975. His mural paintings are featured in several churches and chapels. As a comic artist, Freynet has made several works about historical figures from Canada.
Louis Riel
In 1990, Éditions des Plaines published 'Louis Riel en bande dessinée', a comic about 19th century Canadian politician Louis Riel (1844-1885), who founded the province of Manitoba and has become a folk hero among French-Canadians. Another comic artist who adapted the life of Louis Riel into a comic book was Chester Brown.
'La Vérendrye'.
Other historical comics
His comic about Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes (1685-1749), titled 'La Vérendrye, explorateur de l'Ouest Canadien', was published in 2002, and nominated for the Prix Deschambault in the following year. For his third graphic novel he returned to Louis Riel and the time of Canada's Confederation. 'Louis Riel, Patriot' was published in 2016, and is said to "expose surprising facts and shed new light on the quintessentially Canadian Riel story".
Other activities
Freynet works in deveral artistic disciplines. He has illustrated documentary films for the National Film Board and Rivard Productions, been artistic director for the production of comics apps, and inventor of the patented sculptural toy, the Facemaker. He has furthermore been an instructor in visual arts for over 30 years. Robert Freynet is a founding member of several community organizations including La Maison des Artistes in Winnipeg, the Monseigneur-Taché Historic Site in Taché Municipality, and the National Monument Society. He sat as board member of the Manitoba Arts Council from 2002 to 2007. His workshop is located in the bucolic setting of Sainte-Geneviève, Manitoba.
Recognition
In 2012 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the arts in Canada.
