In the heart of Old Montreal is a remarkable pair of bronze sculptures created by Marc Andre J. Fortier. Inspired by Commedia dell’arte and Two Solitudes by novelist Hugh MacLennan, Fortier has fashioned two elitists to bring humor to the cultural distance between English and French Canadians; the dogs they hold in their arms add give a human element to the pieces.

The scene is set by a website on public art in Montreal:  “A dashing looking English man, holding his Pug, gives a superior stare at Notre-Dame Basilica, symbol of the religious influence on French Canadians. Feet away to the northern corner of the building, a woman in Chanel style suit, Poodle against her, shoots an offended look to the Bank of Montreal’s head office, built in 1845-1847 and symbol of English power. With their masters oblivious to each other, the two dogs on the alert already sniffed out the opportunity to unite.”