Early printmaking success Gaucher's art career began when he set up an exhibition at the Galerie d'Échange in Montreal in 1957. He enjoyed success afterwards, and as a result became the founding president of Associations des Peintures-Gravures de Montreal in 1960. His teacher was master printmaker Albert Dumouchel (1916–1971). In 1962, Gaucher travelled to Europe on a grant from the
Canada Council. There, in
Paris, he encountered the music of
Anton Webern, which became a major influence on him. In his artworks, he began to incorporate more irregular geometries as opposed to strictly geometric forms, as well as greater contrasts of colour. This, he felt, would better represent the
atonality of Webern's music. He garnered national and international attention, and won prizes at major print shows in Canada,
Ljubljana,
Yugoslavia, and
Grenchen,
Switzerland. In 1968, Gaucher was considered to be the leader of printmaking in Quebec, and he taught a printmaking class at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University). This class was attended by Montreal artist
Betty Goodwin. Learning from Gaucher was pivotal to Goodwin's later success in the realm of printmaking. About Goodwin, Gaucher said: “I gave her everything I could because she was the most worthy student that I had. And looking back on it she was the most worthy student I have ever had…. It’s not just the work. It’s in the attitude, the commitment, the discipline and in the earnestness if you will.” From 1967 to 1969, Gaucher created a series of
Grey on Grey paintings. These works, amongst his most important, were meant to be interpreted in two different ways. As individual paintings, they would be seen based on their linear movement; as a whole, they were an environment, based on colour. Gaucher was crucial in the development of the colour band style of art, which was first created in 1970. This form of painting consists of wide stripes of uniform colours. Gaucher also extended colour band painting to include works of horizontal planes of contrasting colour. Gaucher's interest in mathematical art persisted, as he created works based on chaos theory and the diagonal line. However, a shoulder injury and other health problems would force him to paint on smaller surfaces, and he returned to creating collages, one of his earlier practices. He was an associate member of the
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts He died in Montreal on September 8, 2000. ==Personal life==