Woodlands style

Indigenous art movement originating in Canada

Woodlands style, also called the Woodlands school, Legend painting, Medicine painting,^[1] and Anishnabe painting, is a genre of painting among First Nations and Native American artists from the Great Lakes area, including northern Ontario and southwestern Manitoba. The majority of the Woodlands artists are Anishinaabeg, notably the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi, as well as the Oji-Cree and the Cree.

Origin

The style was founded by Norval Morrisseau (Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabe, 1932–2007), a First Nations Ojibwe artist from Northern Ontario, Canada.^[2] He learned Ojibwe history and culture primarily from his grandfather Moses "Potan" Nanakonagos and in the 1950s collected oral history of his community. Their history and cosmology provided inspiration and subject matter for his paintings. He also drew upon his personal dreams and visions.^[1] Morrisseau said, "All my painting and drawing is really a continuation of the shaman's scrolls."^[3] and the Eckankar religion.^[4] Ojibwe intaglio, pictographs, petrographs, and birch bark scrolls (wiigwaasabak), were stylistic antecedents of the Woodlands style.

Style

This visionary style emphasizes outlines and X-ray views of people, animals, plants, and spiritual beings.^[1] Colours are vivid, even garish. While Morrisseau initially painted on birch bark, he mostly switched to Western art materials, such as acrylic, gouache, or watercolor paints on paper, wood panels, or canvas.

Woodlands school artists

Ahmoo Angeconeb (Lac Seul First Nation, 1955–2017)^[5]
Jackson Beardy (Anishinini, 1944–1984)^[6]
Benjamin Chee Chee (Eabametoong Ojibwe, 1944–1977)^[7]
Shirley Cheechoo (Cree, b. 1952)^[8]
Kelly Church (Gun Lake Potawatomi/Odawa/Ojibwe, b. 1967)^[9]
Eddy Cobiness (Buffalo Point Ojibwa, 1933–1996)^[10]
Blake Debassige (M'Chigeeng Ojibwe, b. 1956)^[6]
Tom Hogan, (Ojibwe, 1955–2014)^[11]
Abe Kakepetum (Sandy Lake Oji-Cree)^[12]
Norval Morrisseau (ᒥᐢᒁᐱᐦᐠ ᐊᓂᒥᐦᑮ/ Miskwaabik Animikii) (Bingwi Neyaashi Ojibwe, ca. 1932–2007)^[6]
Daphne Odjig (Odawa/Potawatomi, 1919–2016)^[13]
Carl Ray (Sandy Lake Cree, 1943–1978)^[14]^[6]
Roy Thomas (Long Lake Ojibway, 1949–2004)^[15]
Jackie Traverse (Lake St. Martin Ojibway, b. 1968)^[16]

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c "Norval Morrisseau." Native American Artworld. (retrieved 25 Oct 2010)
^ Berlo and Phillips, p. 229
^ Berlo and Phillips, p. 230
^ Rockingham, Graham (October 11, 2018). "The AGH Norval Morrisseau collection finally gets its day". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
^ "Artistic community mourns loss of Ahmoo Angeconeb, 62, of Lac Seul First Nation". CBC News. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Berlo and Phillips 231
^ "Benjamin Chee Chee". St. James Guide to North American Artists. 1998 – via Gale in Context Biography.
^ Smith, Theresa S.; Debassige, Blake; Cheechoo, Shirley; Mishibinijima, James Simon; Bell, Leland (1994). "Beyond the Woodlands: Four Manitoulin Painters Speak Their Minds". American Indian Quarterly. 18 (1): 1–24. doi:10.2307/1185726. ISSN 0095-182X. JSTOR 1185726.
^ "Church, Kelly Jean". Benezit Dictionary of Artists. 2014. doi:10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.B2260379. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
^ "Obituary: Eddy Cobiness". AMMSA. 1996. Archived from the original on 17 Jan 2013.
^ "Street Artist in Brush Strokes". Archived from the original on 26 December 2015.
^ "Woodland art and wisdom of artist/elder Abe Kakepetum | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
^ "Daphne Odjig [footprints] Woodlands meets Picasso in artist's vibrant style". Windspeaker.com. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
^ "Artist and Scholar List". First American Art Magazine. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
^ "Vision Circle: The art of Roy Thomas". Retrieved 2024-03-22.
^ Posted, Sydney Hildebrandt (2020-01-03). "Jan 2020: Painting on the walls". Our Communities. Retrieved 2024-03-22.