First Meeting 1992

Editor: So, we're looking at "First Meeting," a vibrant acrylic painting by Norval Morrisseau from 1992. The figures are bold, almost cartoonish, but there's something very spiritual about them, wouldn't you agree? How would you interpret this encounter? Curator: It jumps right off the canvas, doesn’t it? Like a dream unfolding in broad daylight. I feel that the vivid colours aren’t just there for show; they’re conduits, almost… conduits to a deeper realm, to a worldview where the tangible and the spiritual dance together, shimmering in a space where animal and human existence entwine. Do you sense that? It’s more than just figures, it's an exchange. What is revealed to you? Editor: That dance is exactly it! The creatures, those blues and greens, feel alive. It also creates this sense of playfulness with a touch of mysticism. There are a lot of faces or creatures facing the creatures... And that other line trailing behind the three trees: how does that add to the story? Curator: Ah, yes! The story. In Morrisseau’s vision, everything has a spirit, a story to tell. That "other line trailing" could be breath, connection, a whispered secret carried on the wind between worlds. Don’t you think? It adds depth, hinting that even what seems static is actually dynamic. He understood spirit pictography like few others, it goes past mere cultural context into true communion with inner energies and collective pasts. Is it working? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it as breath. That makes perfect sense, literally giving life to the scene. That simple line opens everything up, changes my reading of the work. I now have something more to look at. Thanks. Curator: Precisely! These indigenous artists and artworks have ways of connecting the observer in many different ways and angles. And in the process it touches you at some layer! I have new understanding myself. Thank you!