Children in the Tree of Knowledge 1996

Norval Morrisseau made this painting called Children in the Tree of Knowledge, and it’s pure color and line. Just look at how the image has come into being, emerging through intuition! I really get this painting: the way that Morrisseau’s vision, with its hot pinks and reds, is right there on the surface for us to see and feel. I can imagine him, mixing those colors and applying them to the canvas with so much energy and verve. The way that the birds and berries burst forth, reaching outwards to us. I love the way he varies his linework, thick in some places, then thin and scratchy in others. The way that gesture can communicate feeling! I'm reminded of other artists such as William Blake, who combined image and text to explore spiritual themes. It really shows how artists are constantly in conversation and exchange, inspiring each other across time and space. For me, painting is an act of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple readings.