NORVAL MORRISSEAU, C.M. (1931-2007) ANISHINAABE (OJIBWE)
The Mighty and Sacred Moose, 1996
acrylic on Masonite, 14 x 35.5 in (35.6 x 90.2 cm)
signed, "ᐅᓴᐊ·ᐱᑯᐱᓀᓯ";

Provenance
Kinsman Robinson Galleries, Toronto, their label affixed verso, Inventory No. NM06 975;
Private Collection, Ontario;
Estate of the above.

With its stylized form, its bright colours and heavy black outlines which are reminiscent of stained glass, and its subject matter, The Mighty and Sacred Moose well represents the style for which artist Norval Morrisseau is most known. Plentiful in the northern areas of the thick woods of the Anishanaabe regions, moose remain a dietary staple for many Anishinaabeg. In addition, moose hide, fur, antlers, and other parts of the animal are used in the creation of drums, art, and other objects and tools. It is no surprise, then, that the animal is given respect and attention in the artist’s works. In The Mighty and Sacred Moose, despite its abstracted nature, the animal seems so in sync with life that it gives the feeling, if not the appearance, of being painted from life. Powerfully composed in joyful acrylic colours, this poised and majestic moose stands against a starkly bisected ground. Such a clear division of earth and sky is rather unusual for the artist.

References: Other works with the Sacred Moose motif see Lister Sinclair and Jack Pollock, The Art of Norval Morrisseau, (Toronto: Methuen Publications, 1979), p. 57, p. 179; Carmen Robertson, Norval Morrisseau: His Life & Work, (Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2016), p. 10 & p. 39.