The artwork is presented in a green space bordering Lake Saint-Louis. It is a monolithic sculpture portraying the body of a man emerging from a block of stone. On the lower part of the piece, a fish brushes against the man’s leg; a large feather is carved on the opposite face. The sculpture is made of stone incrusted with metallic pigments, and some parts are left smooth, not carved.

Études pour la figure, Saint-Laurent combines geometry and the human form in a single rocky mass that exudes the same rigidity and static quality as statues created by early ancient Greek artists. The dynamism of the artwork comes from the variety of textures on its surface and the different approaches used to carve the stone. These superimposed blocks present a complex organization of flat and polished surfaces, right angles, and sections sculpted in full-found and bas-relief. The artwork has a narrative dimension; it evokes the impressive force of almost-wild countryside discovered by the men who landed in the New World. The fish near the man’s leg refers to the river, the vital axis for penetration into the rich territories unknown to the people who explored them.

The artwork Études pour la figure, Saint-Laurent was first displayed at the first Salon international de la sculpture extérieure, an event organized by the Centre des arts contemporains du Québec à Montréal in 1992 for the 350th anniversary of the foundation of Montréal. With the theme “Aux quatre vents” (To the Four Winds), this exhibition of monumental and environmental sculptures brought together 12 artworks, created specially for the occasion, on the promenade of the Old Port of Montréal. At the end of the event, Maler’s artwork was installed at its permanent site, in Lachine.