Pavane is a very large oil painting composed of three panels in which texture and colour are fundamental. Squeezed directly from the tube onto the canvas surface, the paint was applied with a spatula to build up a heavy, irregular impasto. Riopelle created this triptych using the spontaneous, automatic technique that defines the style of Abstract Expressionism. The internationally acclaimed Pavane belongs to the artist’s most famous period, during which he produced large, colourful mosaic-like works. It was exhibited at the 31st Venice Biennale (1962), where Riopelle represented Canada.

Trained at Montréal’s École du meuble under Paul-Émile Borduas, Jean Paul Riopelle was an Automatiste and one of the signers of the 1948 manifesto Refus global [Total Refusal]. Living in Paris and spending time in New York, he associated with both Surrealists and Abstract Expressionists. In the 1950s, he developed a practice based on densely applying thick dabs of colour in a so-called mosaic style. For his use of spontaneous gestures, Riopelle is often compared with the American painter Jackson Pollock (1912-1956). He is among the best known of all Quebec painters.