Ojibwa artist Norval Morrisseau, lauded by many as the most widely recognized First Nations artist in the world,introduced the international art community to the legend, lore and artistic style of the First Nations people.
Although First Nations art features prominently throughout parts of Canada it is a novelty to many cultures around the globe.
The culture of the tribes of the First Nations ran thick in the blood of this influential artist.
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Raised by his maternal grandparents on the Gull Bay shore of Lake Nipigon, a young Norval Morrisseau learned the stories, myths and spiritual beliefs of his people at his Grandfather’s knee.
As a child he often explored the old trade and travel routes around the reserve, fascinated by the petroglyphs and rock art. Astonishingly, he was discouraged from painting his thoughts, dreams and visions by the older members of the tribe.
His future may have taken a drastically different route had he not contracted tuberculosis at the age of nineteen. Physicians at Ft. William were unable to cure him of the disease; however, during his months in the hospital he had a series of dreams and visions that set his path.
“My paintings are icons. That is to say, they are images which help focus on spiritual powers, generated by traditional belief and wisdom.”
Encouraged by the staff at Ft. William, Morrisseau began to paint his visions. His early style centered primarily around the “x-ray vision” that brought the spirit lines of the animals that were perceived as the source of many of the shamanic powers.
His artwork, which he traded for food and art supplies for his rapidly growing family (he and his Cree wife, Harriet Kakegamic, had six children together before the dissolution of their marriage) caught the eye of gallery owner Jack Pollock.
It was Jack Pollack who brought Norval Morrisseau out of obscurity and into the public eye. He and his gallery sponsored Morriseau’s first show, a solo exhibition that sold out in a single day.
He has gone on to feature in over forty solo exhibitions across Canada, the U.S. and parts of Europe, often against the wishes of the tribal leaders who felt that his paintings violated the sanctity of the religion and beliefs of their people.
Copper Thunderbird (Miskwaabik Animiiki), the name given to him in a renaming ceremony by a tribal medicine woman in an attempt to save his life following the failed attempts to cure his tuberculosis, is a name that is quickly becoming known among the international art community.
Known for his incredible insight, Copper Thunderbird was the founder of the Woodland artistic style and has been an inspiration to hundreds of up and coming Ojibwa artists.
A member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, Norval Morrisseau was the only Canadian painter to have been asked to mount an individual show in the celebration of the 1989 Bicentennial of the French Revolution. It has been his incredible efforts that have brought the artwork of the people of the First Nations out of Canada and into the international spotlight.