Painted Legacies

First Arts is pleased to present the works of five celebrated artists—Norval Morrisseau, Carl Beam, Cecil Youngfox, Robert Houle, and Angus Trudeau—with shared Anishinaabe heritage.

While their artistry is grounded in this shared culture, it is their distinct styles, techniques, and thematic exploration that make each artist's work unique. Together, these artists present a rich, nuanced perspective of Anishinaabe cultural life, with their distinct stylistic approaches reflecting facets of their common ancestry and traditions.

Norval Morrisseau is renowned as the founder of the Woodlands School of art. His unique style, characterized by expressive formlines — an innovative so-called "x-ray" method of representation, and interconnecting lines that signify visual relationships — is deeply rooted in the traditions of petroglyph and birchbark scroll paintings found on the Canadian Shield. The two works by the artist represented in this sale, The Great Migration of the Ojibwa People and Bird Family exemplify Morrisseau’s celebrated approach. Colour, intricate detailing, and flowing black lines that convey a sense of movement and spirituality of paramount importance in both paintings. As is typical for much of the work by the artist, the imagery of both works makes overt Anishinaabe cultural references. The Great Migration of the Ojibwa People depicts the five hundred year migration of the Ojibweg from the Northeastern shores area of North America to the Great Lakes region and Bird Family may reference Anishanaabe doodeman (also toodaims or clans).

Like Morriseau, the work of Carl Beam features direct references to Anishanaabe imagery, which he blends with his own interpretation of the Anasazi and Mimbres "coil and scrape" pottery techniques. Beam’s Bowl with Shaman Family features a horned figure—a transformation of the petroglyph images that Beam himself referred to as "figures from our cultural past" (Greg Hill, ed., 2010, p. 57). When he returned to his home on Manitoulin Island, Beam used locally sourced Miskwaabigan red clay for his pottery, a testament to his connection with his native land.

Cecil Youngfox, too, makes an undisguised reference to the custom of some Anishinaabe communities of assigning a unique name to a young child that is often emblematic of their individual characteristics and personality. A Naming Ceremony, likewise, bears a resemblance to Morrisseau’s style of a transparency system that uses bold outlines to contain vibrant hues. However, Youngfox diverges in his style by adopting a more representational approach, employing light and color to capture the poetic essence of his scenes.

By contrast, in Untitled (Abstract Sweetgrass in Purples) by Robert Houle, presents a different approach, integrating traditional Anishinaabe imagery with Western artistic practices. Drawing from First Nations and Métis quillwork, Houle divides his canvas into three sections using geometric depictions of sweetgrass.His work also integrates Western art practices, specifically the Color Field and Geometric Abstraction movements, distinguishing him from his Indigenous contemporaries presented in this sale.

Like Houle, Angus Trudeau deviates from the Woodland School style, opting instead to celebrate his personal history and memories through compositions of ferry boats, lake freighters, and other vessels that populate waters of his home of Manitoulin Island. In Norisle, Manitowaning Bay, Trudeau integrates Western stylistic elements, namely collage, to depict an idyllic representation of life on Manitoulin Island. This locale holds a unique significance for Trudeau, a sentiment shared by fellow artist Carl Beam, as pointed out earlier.

These artists, while collectively celebrating their shared heritage, articulate their individual perspectives through their unique artistic approaches and we are honored to bring these masterpieces to the market.