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Norval Morrisseau: 1932-2007

March 14, 2017 By Wendy Campbell

 

Norval-MorrisseauAnishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau (Copper Thunderbird) was born on March 14, 1932 in Fort William, Ontario, Canada. Morrisseau was a painter, carver, draughtsman, storyteller, teacher,  Grand Shaman, and was dubbed the “Picasso of the North” by the French press. Morrisseau invented the pictographic style, now used by three generations of Aboriginal artists.

The first of five sons, Morrisseau was, according to Ojibway custom, raised by his grandparents. He learned about Ojibway beliefs and Anishinaabe cosmology from his grandfather who was a member of the Midewiwin religious society.  As a child, he also learned about Christianity from his Catholic grandmother.  In the 1970s, he became interested in the spiritual philosophy of Eckankar and its theories of astral visions and soul travel. All of these experiences influenced his artistic development.

Self-taught, Morrisseau began drawing the ancient stories of his people at a very young age. He was discouraged by some who believed that the communication of any content from the scrolls was strictly the task of a Shaman. While Morrisseau continued to paint, he studied his Anishinaabe heritage intensively until he himself became a Shaman.

In 1956, Morrisseau contracted tuberculosis and was admitted to the Thunder Bay Tuberculosis Sanatorium where he continued creating artwork. While there, he met Harriet Kakegamic and the couple married in 1957 and had six children.

In 1962, Morrisseau’s  work  attracted the attention of Toronto gallery owner Jack Pollack who organized a successful  solo exhibition of  the artist’s work. Over the next decade, Morrisseau  developed his unique painting style termed the “Woodlands School” which was known for its vibrant colours, x-ray impressions, and flat forms separated by thick black lines.  His art influenced the work on numerous First Nation artists including Daphne Odjig, and Carl Ray.

Morrisseau was also known as Copper Thunderbird, a name he was given as a young man. “In Ojibway culture, the thunderbird acts as a go-between; in combination with “copper,” the name suggests that Morrisseau has the ability to unite opposing powers of underwater/underearth and above sky.” Morrisseau signed all of his works in Cree syllabics as Copper Thunderbird.

“Through the 1970s and ’80s, Morrisseau’s “eccentricities” – binge drinking and often a hand-to-mouth street existence – were the despair of his friends and buyers of his work who were uncertain of the authenticity of his paintings. The artist admitted in 2004 he had signed other artists’ work ‘if they needed the money.'”

The prevalence of forgeries, however, became a great concern to Morrisseau, especially in his later years, and he actively sought to remove these from the marketplace. In 2005 he established the Norval Morrisseau Heritage Society (NMHS). The Society’s mandate is to catalogue and verify authentic Morrisseau paintings.

Morrisseau received numerous awards and honours in his lifetime including the Order of Canada in 1978, member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, recipient of Doctor of Laws, and Doctor of Letters,  holder of the Eagle Feather (the highest honour awarded by the Assembly of First Nations), and Grand Shaman. As well, he was the only Canadian painter invited to exhibit in the Paris French Revolution bicentennial in 1989.

In the last years of his life, Morrisseau was unable to paint. Afflicted by Parkinson’s disease, Norval Morrisseau died on December 4, 2007 in Toronto General Hospital. He was buried in Northern Ontario next to the grave of his ex-wife Harriet, on Anishinaabe land.

Psychic-Space-Norval-Morrisseau
Sacred Bear With Circles of Life-Norval Morrisseau
rp_artist-and-shaman-between-two-worlds-norval-morrisseau-1980.jpg
Self-Portrait-Norval-Morrisseau
Untitled-Shaman-Norval Morrisseau-1971
When-Mother-Earth-was-a-Young-Woman-Norval-Morrisseau
Shaman-and-Disciples-Norval-Morrisseau
Mother-and-Child--Norval-Morrisseau
Copper Thunderbird: Merman Ruler of Water by Norval Morrisseau.
Group_Of_Birds_With_Cycles-Norval_Morrisseau
Fresh_Spirits-Norval Morrisseau-1976
Norval-Morrisseau
Untitled - Child -Norval Morrisseau-1971
Untitled -Shaman Traveller to Other Worlds for Blessings - Norval Morrisseau - 1988 - 1992
Fox and Fish-Norval Morrisseau
_Observations-of-the-Astral-World--Norval-Morrisseau
Little-Bird-Norval-Morrisseau

Sources:Virtual Museum, Kinsman Robinson, McMichael Gallery, National Gallery of Canada, Maslak McLeod Gallery, Wikipedia, Toronto Star

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Filed Under: ART, Art History, Painting Tagged With: Aboriginal Art, Canadian Art, Canadian First Nations Art, Norval Morrisseau

Canada Day: Celebrating Canadian Artists

July 1, 2016 By Wendy Campbell

Happy Canada Day all you Canucks and friends of Canucks out there! In celebration of our National Day, DAF presents a collection of work from well known (and not so well known) Canadian artists.

Have a great day everyone!

Alex Colville - To Prince Edward Island - 1965
Dorothea Rockburne - Three Point Manifold - 2008
Lawren Harris - Maligne Lake Jasper Park - 1924
Tom Thomson - Byng Inlet - 1914-15
Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun - New Chiefs on the Land
Jean Paul Riopelle - The Wheel II - 1956
Robert Bateman - Rhino and Oxpecker 1975
Franklin Carmichael - The Glade - 1922
Bill Reid - Spirit of Haida Gwaii the Jade Canoe
Joyce Wieland - Paint Phantom - 1983-84
Norval Morrisseau - Mother and Child - 1992
Émile Borduas - Mirror of Frost - 1954
Emily Carr - Blunden Harbour 1928-32
A.Y. Jackson - The Red Maple - 1914
Alex Colville - Child and Dog - 1952 Alex Colville
Sarah Robertson - Joseph and Marie Louise - 1925-35
Daphne Odjig - Mother Earth Struggles for Survival - 1975
J.E.H. MacDonald Mist Fantasy, Sand River Algoma - c1922
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao - Frank Owen Gehry - 1997
Mary Pratt - Cut Watermelon - 1997
Paul Kane - Flathead Woman with Child 1848-53
Yousuf Karsh - Andy Warhol 1979
Betty Goodwin - Aerialist 1962
Arthur Lismer - A September Gale - 1921

Featured artists:

Arthur Lismer – A September Gale – 1921
Betty Goodwin – Aerialist 1962
Yousuf Karsh – Andy Warhol 1979
Emily Carr – Blunden Harbour 1928-32
Alex Colville – Child and Dog – 1952 Alex Colville
Mary Pratt – Cut Watermelon – 1997
Daphne Odjig – Mother Earth Struggles for Survival – 1975
Paul Kane – Flathead Woman with Child 1848-53
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao – Frank Owen Gehry – 1997
J.E.H. MacDonald Mist Fantasy, Sand River Algoma – c1922
Sarah Robertson – Joseph and Marie Louise – 1925-35
Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun
Émile Borduas – Mirror of Frost – 1954
Norval-Morrisseau – Mother and Child – 1992
Joyce Wieland – Paint Phantom – 1983-84
Robert Bateman – Rhino and Oxpecker 1975
Bill Reid – Spirit of Haida Gwaii the Jade Canoe
Franklin Carmichael – The Glade – 1922
A.Y. Jackson – The Red Maple – 1914
Jean Paul Riopelle – The Wheel II – 1956
Tom Thomson – Byng Inlet – 1914-15
Dorothea Rockburne – Three Point Manifold – 2008
Lawren Harris – Maligne Lake Jasper Park – 1924

 

Filed Under: ART, Art History, Photography, Sculpture Tagged With: A.Y. Jackson, Alex Colville, Arthur Lismer, Betty Goodwin, Bill Reid, Daphne Odjig, Dorothea Rockburne, Emily Carr, Frank Carmichael, Frank Owen Gehry, J.E.H. MacDonald, Jean Paul Riopelle, Joyce Wieland, Lawren Harris, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Lynn Johnston, Mary Pratt, Norval Morrisseau, Paul Kane, Paul-Émile Borduas, Robert Bateman, Sarah Robertson, Thomas John (Tom) Thomson, Yousuf Karsh

National Aboriginal Day: Indian Group of Seven

June 21, 2016 By Wendy Campbell

Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. book coverJune 21st is National Aboriginal Day in Canada. Established in 1996, it is a day for all Canadians to celebrate the cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, and their contributions to Canada.

June 21st was chosen because of the cultural significance of the summer solstice (first day of summer and longest day of the year) and because many Aboriginal groups mark this day as a time to celebrate their heritage. Setting aside a day for Aboriginal peoples is part of the wider recognition of Aboriginal peoples’ important place within the fabric of Canada and their ongoing contributions as First Peoples.

To celebrate National Aboriginal Day, DAF presents the work of the Professional Native Indian Artists Incorporation, better known as the “Indian Group of Seven”. Initiated in the 1970s by Potawatomi painter Daphne Odjig, the group consisted of professional aboriginal artists who came together to promote their work and change the way the western art world looked at Aboriginal art. Members of the group included Daphne Odjig, Norval Morrisseau,  Jackson Beardy,  Carl Ray, Joseph Sanchez, Eddy Cobiness, and Alex Janvier.

The precursor to the formation of the group occurred in 1972, when a joint exhibition of indigenous contemporary art was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The show called, “Treaty Numbers 23, 287 and 1171”, included Jackson Beardy, Alex Janvier and Daphne Odjig. The success of the exhibition led to the formation of the Professional Native Indian Artists Association in November 1973 which was funded by the Department of Indian Affairs. The PNIAI was incorporated in February 1974 by all seven members. Haida artist Bill Reid, although not formally signed on, was considered the eighth member and participated in some of the group’s shows.

The name “Indian Group of Seven” was given to the group by Gary Scherbain of the Winnipeg Free Press, referring to the well known Group of Seven who painted Canadian landscapes in an impressionistic style beginning in the 1920s.

“The group’s work covered the gamut from intensely spiritual to slyly humourous, deeply personal to fiercely political. It took Canada by storm, in both native and non-native communities.”

The “Indian Group of Seven” had numerous joint exhibitions in Canada. The last in which all participated was at the Dominion Gallery in Montreal in 1975. The group disbanded in 1975.

In September, 2013, the Mackenzie Art Gallery in Saskatchewan, organized 7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. bringing together 120 works including those featured in formative exhibitions of the Group along with a number of recently uncovered masterworks of the period. The exhibition toured to five other major Canadian Art Galleries in 2015-2016.

National Aboriginal Day events are held in every region across Canada. For a detailed list of activities, visit the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada website or contact an Aboriginal community or organization near you.

Recreation-Myth---Carl-Ray
The-Dream-Speaker-Daphne-Odjig
Yellowknife Sunlight - Alex Janvier
Daphne Odjig
Feeding-(Buffalo)-Eddy-Cobiness
Traditional-Music-Alex-Janvier-2010
Thunderdancer, Metamorphosis, and Thunderbird-Jackson Beardy
Loons IV by Jackson Beardy
Joseph Sanchez-Ghost Shirt-1979-80
Communication-Carl-Ray
Loons III by Jackson Beardy
Little-Bird-Norval-Morrisseau
Santa Fe Series - Alex Janvier
Self-Portrait-Norval-Morrisseau
Feeding Geese-Eddy Cobiness
Artist-and-Shaman-between-Two-Worlds-Norval-Morrisseau-1980
Brown Spot-Alex Janvier
Mother-Earth-Struggles-for-Survival,-1975-Daphne-Odjig
Daphne-Odjig_The-Indian-in-Transition
Great Blue Heron-Eddy Cobiness

Sources: Native Art in Canada, Wikipedia, Seventh Generation Gallery

View Aboriginal work at Cedar Lake

Filed Under: ART, Drawing, Painting Tagged With: Alex Janvier, Canadian Aboriginal Art, Carl Ray, Cedar Lake, Daphne Odjig, Eddy Cobiness, First Nations Art, Indian Group of Seven, Jackson Beardy, Joseph Sanchez, National Aboriginal Day, Norval Morrisseau

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