Untitled (Moose Pair) by Norval Morrisseau

Provenance:
Purchased directly from the artist
Yellow Door Gallery, Winnipeg (circa 1968)
Private Collection, Winnipeg
Mayberry Fine Art, Winnipeg
Private Collection, Toronto

Literature:
Carmen Robertson, “Norval Morrisseau: Life and Work” [online publication], Art Canada Institute, Toronto, 2016, page 9

Groundbreaking artist Norval Morrisseau worked beyond European- based conventions and drew from Anishnaabe cultural traditions to develop his powerful and unique artistic vision. The moose carried important symbolic associations for Morrisseau. The Glenbow Museum noted that Morrisseau drew inspiration from the traditional story of a dream of an Ojibwa named Luke Onanakongos (Jo-Go Way):

“In dreams of my youth, my spirit dwelled inside a huge moose, and I was protected from hardships of this earth. In middle life, the moose discharged my spirit from his body and it became one with my earthly self. The moose told me to purify myself spiritually and I did this for a time. Finally, in my old age, I rebelled and left forever the dream that pulled me toward that era.”

Well-known as a proficient colourist, Morrisseau opted here for subtle, earthy tones that evoke traditional Anishnaabe materials of birch bark and tanned hides. The artist often demonstrated a visual preference for balanced, symmetrical compositions by depicting two facing figures. This pictorial structure infuses the work with an iconic and transcendent quality. The outlines of the two animals connect at only a few points, creating visual tension in an image unified by flowing, rhythmic curves. Norval Morrisseau was the formative figure of the Woodland School, a group of Indigenous painters who carried forward his lasting artistic influence.