"This Blog is posted in honour of the Mind, Body and Spirit of Copper Thunderbird better known as Norval Morrisseau - Grand Shaman of the Ojibway. Also, this is the first and the only Blog initiated during Norval Morrisseau’s lifetime and it is dedicated entirely to the preservation of the legacy of his people as well as to the preservation of his artistic legacy."
"I have always been attracted to religious paintings, but only the ones that had that mystical or supernatural quality in them, especially Saint Teresa by Bernini. Just looking at Saint Teresa I get some kind of vibrations from it. I can close my eyes and feel them. That's great art, and it brings on that tingling sexual feeling. Other saints, like Saint Sebastian, do that as well. But the Christ figure was always the one that was dominant for me.That's why I say that Christ to me is still the greatest shaman, and that is why some religious visions are so complex, and so very hard to explain to people."
"Years ago I was walking down the street in Winnipeg feeling sorry for myself. A man was walking towards me, He had long hair and a leather jacket, and as we meet he said,"Things are not as bad as we think". I looked away for a second and when I looked back he was gone. I never saw that man again."
"Just as a fish swims in any clear northern lake (in a medium that is virtually invisible to the eye) so we, if we are to live all right, should realize we live in a dimension on which our very existence, as people and artists, depends. The dimension is that of connectivity in life shared together in mutual respect… Fish, in spawning runs, seem to urge each other on, to reach safe and secluded lakes, with plentiful food supplies. Once there, they can live more non-competitively."
"Why am I alive? To heal you guys who are more screwed up than I am. How can I heal you? With colour. These are the colours you dreamt about one night."
"I can live anywhere. I can paint anywhere. I have painted six panels of the Man Who Changed Into a Thunderbird. All these paintings came from within. I don't need to isolate myself to do them. I can paint them here, there or anywhere. A pipe band could be going by, or cars."
"I paint with these colours to heal, my paintings honour the Anishnaabe ancestors who have roamed the Great Lakes for centuries upon centuries."
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"We are all one"
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"My people believe the earth to be their mother and that we are children of the earth. In spirit we are one with our environment."
"Personally I am not thinking about myself truthfully in this present year but years ahead when I am death for the children of mine and the generations of my people to feel proud of the art heritage of the Ojibway and every nationality is proud of its culture."
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"We Are All One in Spirit"
Greg A. Hill
"Their great appeal partly derives from Mr. Morrisseau's marrying of an understanding of Indian spirituality with his own formal ambitions as a painter... New York has many museums with countless exhibitions, but it's been a long time since I saw a show of such potent spirituality, warmth and feeling."
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"Norval Morrisseau's courageous and often controversial approach to his work was instrumental in encouraging First Nations people to know their spirituality, history and culture in order to better understand themselves. He taught us to be proud of who we are. He inspired countless other First Nations people to pursue a career in the arts. His legacy will remain with us and continue to inspire all Canadians for many generations to come."
"Morrisseau was committed, from the very start, to preserving the stories and myths of his people. He never wavered. As troubled as his life was, he also went through it with this incredible sense of mission."
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"He was a courageous Aboriginal painter who, through perseverance and faith in his gift, was able to break through enormous cultural and racial barriers to bring his art not just to Canada, but to the world."
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"He has been described as perhaps the greatest native artist who ever lived - a primal visionary who gave form to the Ojibway legends and myths told to him by his maternal grandfather Moses "Potan" Nanakonagos."
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6 comments:
I would like to thank you for this blog. I would also like to say that it is nice to write our thoughts freely again on it. My question is this; What do you think of the disrespect the KRG blog has shown you as the blogmaster of this blog? MG
Thank you MG.
KRG gave me the greatest compliment when they created their own blog. This way public has an opportunity to read different viewpoints and consequently learn more about Genius of Copper Thunderbird better known as Norval Morrisseau.
Meegwetch
it is refreshing to see that you are taking the high road. I think that this blog is a lot more open to discusion from both sides of the NM debate. Thank you MG
I have followed this from day one. A lot of questions go answered or are taken in a different direction (or deleted). Furhter down this blog a viewer mentioned that Spirit Walker keeps mentioning he will give the answers on how to ensure you are dealing with an authentic Morrisseau. The next day he then goes on to explain the symbolic meaning of images in a paintings. The question was skipped.
Spirit Walker and other viewers of this blog - please help by answering a few simple(?) questions.
1 - Why is there no available pictures of Norval Morrisseau with his brush on a canvas completing one of these paintings? If I am wrong, please show me one.
2 - Why do all recognized publications of his work not include any paintings like the questionable ones here? If I am wrong, please show me one.
3 - Why does not one print of a Morrisseau exist that represents that questionable paintings from the 70's? If I am wrong, please show me one.
4 - Why does no one know the history behind these paintings even though it would appear that the source is constantly supplying them to the market.
5 - What else solid facts can you present that verify these are Morrisseaus? Posting pictures of Norval sitting in front of a painting or two similar images of different styles does not cut it.
Look forward to hearing your comments - I am listening but have not heard much yet.
signed by 3-0
Hard facts are hard to come by in this situation. It is hard to prove authenticity when the artist is no longer available to confirm it. It is easy for those that want to legitimize these paintings from the seventies to say “prove it”. They must rely on this stance as they can not prove that they are real.
Some people have said that myself (Coghlan Art) and KRG are trying to manipulate the secondary market to promote the paintings that we have. This is ridiculous. The controversy has only softened the market and created fear. There are so many of these questionable paintings in the market place that it would be easy to accept them and make money on them. I am offered these pieces almost daily at far below market prices for legit Morrisseau paintings.
Here are some “facts” .
It is a fact that Morrisseau had assistants in the mid and late 70s and early 80s. Several of these “apprentices” have told me off the record that they had assisted on Morrisseau’s paintings during this time. Morrisseau would do the sketch and let the “apprentice” paint in the color. When the painting was finished , Morrisseau would sign it. This escalated into more and more paintings being produced with less and less input from Morrisseau until paintings were being produced with no input from Morrisseau.
It is a fact that none of these questionable paintings has surfaced that has provenance back to the Pollack Gallery. It is odd that none have had a Pollack Gallery sticker on it. The Pollack Gallery was Morrisseau’s main dealer at that time but none of the paintings that went through there were of the style of the paintings in question. “The Art Of Norval Morrisseau”, by Jack Pollack and Lister Sinclair, the definitive book on Morrisseau’s work from the 70’s does not contain one piece in the questionable style.
It is a fact that no provenance beyond “private collection” is offered on the questionable 70s paintings. If these paintings are truly Morrisseau’s from the 70s then they should have a history back to when they were obtained from him.
It is a fact that not one of these questionable paintings has been reproduced as a limited edition signed print.
It is a fact that I worked with Morrisseau for over 20 years. During this time I received 100s of paintings directly from him. Not one was signed, dated or titled on the back.
It is a fact that during the last 10 years of his life, Morrisseau dis-avowed these paintings many times. To me personally he said that something had to be done to stop these “Physic Leeches” (his words) from ripping him off. This talk began in earnest after Morrisseau returned from a trip to Ontario where he took part in a gathering on Manitoulin Island in 1999. There was a painting on the wall behind the stage that is in the questionable style. Although he did not want to create a scene at the gathering, it did piss him off. When paintings of this type began to surface on eBay he asked me to warn people that they were not his paintings. Morrisseau started the Norval Morrisseau Heritage Society to rectify the situation and to insure that these paintings were not included in his art history. His trip back to Toronto shortly before his death was all about these paintings. In his last newspaper interview he said that he had come to Toronto to ”Kick some ass”. He was referring to these paintings and the people that are selling them.
Bryant Ross - Coghlan Art
Thanks Bryant.
It would appear that Norval did nothing about the painting he sat in front of Manitoulin Island because he may have been responsible for getting the ball rolling by working with apprentices and having them complete his work for him. From here it kept going and looks like it got out of control with him having no influence in these paintings. Sitting in front of a painting of this style perhpas he was confronted with the reality of these paintings. As well - he likely knew the individual that was behind the painting of it. As mentioned elsewhere, he was not interested in having another indian tossed in jail - particularly if he knew the person and perhaps had worked at some time with him. So what does he do...handles the issue by having the NHMS created to focus on creating a catalogue of work that can be linked directly to him not focusing on hurting his 'friends' but protecting his legacy. SMART GUY!
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