1. A Study of Woodland Aboriginal Art Grade 7 Visual Arts – Ms. Willis
Norval Morriseau
A Study of Woodland Aboriginal Art
Grade 7 Visual Arts – Ms. Willis

2. Learning Goals
Identify ways in which visual art can reflect the beliefs and traditions of a culture
Understand how symbols, signs and style can convey messages in art
Explain how elements of design are used to communicate meaning
Create art works to express ideas, feelings, and issues, including opposing points of view

3. Background Norval Morriseau was born in Northern Ontario in 1932
Morrisseau created works depicting the legends of his people, the cultural and political tensions between native Canadian and European traditions, his existential struggles, and his deep spirituality and mysticism.

4. Elements of Art of Morriseau
His style is characterized by thick black outlines and bright colors.
Much of his work depicts an “x-ray” technique
His colors effect us in ways that are not immediately apparent. His visions, like ancient taboos that have turned into dreams of the future, come to life on canvas and paper.

5. What influenced his art?
In accordance with Anishnaabe tradition, he was raised by his maternal grandparents.
His grandfather, Moses Potan Nanakonagos, a shaman, taught him the traditions and legends of his people.
His grandmother, Grace Theresa Potan Nanakonagos, was a devoutCatholic and from her he learned the tenets of Christianity.
The contrast between these two religious traditions became an important factor in his intellectual and artistic development.

6. What influenced his art?
At the age of six, he was sent to a Catholic residential school, where students were educated in the European tradition, native culture was repressed, and the use of native language was forbidden. After two years he returned home and started attending a local community school.
At the age of 19, he became very sick. He was taken to a doctor but his health kept deteriorating. Fearing for his life, his mother called a medicine-woman who performed a renaming ceremony: She gave him the new name Copper Thunderbird. According to Anishnaabe tradition, giving a powerful name to a dying person can give them new energy and save their lives.

7. What influenced his art?
Morrisseau recovered after the ceremony and from then on always signed his works with his new name using the Creesyllabics writing 
ᐅᓵᐚᐱᐦᑯᐱᓀᐦᓯ
which means “Copper Thunderbird”

8. Influences of Morrisseau
He spent his youth in remote isolation in northern Ontario, near Thunder Bay, where his artistic style developed without the usual influences of other artist's imagery. As the sole originator of his "Woodland" style he has become an inspiration to three generations of Ojibwe and Cree artists.  
In 1978, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.[5] He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

9. Morriseau’s Style
The subjects of his art in the early period were myths and traditions of the Anishnaabe people.
He is acknowledged to have initiated the Woodland School of native art, where images similar to the petroglyphs of the Great Lakes region were now captured in paintings and prints.
His later style changed: he used more standard material and the colors became progressively brighter, eventually obtaining a neon- like brilliance. The themes also moved from traditional myth to depicting his own personal struggles.

10. 1990s
1965

11. Symbols
Lines: can represent lines of power, communication, prophecy or movement
Divided Circle: represent dualities present in the world (good vs. evil, day and night, sky and earth, honesty vs. dishonesty, etc.)
X-ray: inner spiritual life

12. Use of Colour
Colour: in prehistoric times, the only significant colour used was red ochre which incredibly can still be seen hundreds of years later!
Morriseau used brighter colours to reflect the “inner” being of people.

13. Your Task 1. Study a variety of art of Norval Morriseau. 2. Either:
Choose a work of art to ‘imitate’ OR
Make a work of art of your own, using Morriseau’s techniques
3. Complete the following questions on your Artist Statement and submit with your work.

14. Woodland Aboriginal Art: Artist Statement
Answer the following questions in your Artist Statement. Be detailed and specific in your description. Remember to refer to the art anchor charts to use art terminology.
1. What elelements of art did your use? (lines, symbols, colour)
2. Using what you know about Woodland art symbols, what do you think the message of your chosen art might be?
3. Most of Morriseau’s art contains opposing points of views or thoughts. Can you see evidence of this in your chosen art? Explain.