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Norval Morrisseau

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Artist

The Resume

    (March 14, 1932-December 4, 2007)
    Born in Beardmore, Ontario, Canada
    Member of the Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation
    Ojibwa name was Copper Thunderbird
    Notable paintings included ‘Moose Dream Legend’ (1962), ‘Conquest of the Thunderbird’ (1982), ‘Androgyny’ (1983), and ‘Observations of the Astral World’ (1994)

Why he might be annoying:

    His paintings were subject to constant art fraud and plagiarism.
    His works were prominently featured throughout the Overlook Hotel in ‘The Shining.’
    His artwork’s presence in the film sometimes figures into conspiracy theories that the movie is actually an allegory for the genocide of Native Americans.
    He claimed Jesus came to him, during a hotel fire he narrowly survived, and encouraged him to be an artist.
    A year later he was arrested for drunk and disorderly behavior and was incarcerated for his own protection (he was assigned a neighboring cell that functioned as a studio, though).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was raised by his maternal grandparents.
    He promoted the works of younger Indigenous artists.
    He founded the Woodlands School of Canadian art.
    He has been called the grandfather of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada and the ‘Picasso of the North.’
    His painting was used as cover art for the Bruce Cockburn album Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws.
    He was an original member of the Indian Group of Seven—a group dedicated to uplifting the next generations of Indigenous artists.
    His works depicted the mysticism/legends of his people, the cultural/political tensions between native Canadian and European traditions, and his own existential struggles.

Credit: Eddie Burphy & BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying