Norval Morrisseau

Norval Morrisseau was born at Sand Point Reserve, near Beardmore Ontario, on 14 Mar 1932 and died at Toronto 4 Dec 2007. A self-taught artist of Ojibwa ancestry (his Ojibwa name, which appears in syllabics on his paintings means ‘Copper Thunderbird’), Morrisseau originated the pictographic style- or what is now known as “Woodland Indian art.” The style is actually a marriage of European easel painting and Ojibwa Midewiwin Society scrolls and pictography.

Morrisseau’s art was first introduced to the Canadian public at the Pollock Gallery in Toronto in 1962 making him the first artist of First Nations ancestry to break through the Canadian professional white-art barrier. Throughout the 60s, this style of painting grew in popularity and was often perceived by other Cree, Ojibwa and Ottawa artists as a tribal style- meant to be adapted for their own cultural needs. By the 1970s, younger artists were painting exclusively in this style, but this was a time of struggle for Morrisseau who was attempting to reconcile traditional Midewiwin and Christian religions with his art and personal life. His work during the 1980s became more focused on spiritual elements and he continues to study Ojibwa shamanistic practices, believing them to elevate his work to a higher plane of understanding.

For more info on Morrisseau visit http://www.norvalmorrisseau.com/

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