Minds On
Let’s get started!
Notice and wonder
Explore the following painting. As you explore the painting, ask yourself the following questions:
What do you notice?
What does it make you think about?
How does it make you feel? Why?
And Some Watched the Sunset by Daphne Odjig, 1985
A calm evening with a sun setting in the background. Several tipis are set up underneath large trees. The tipis and the trees are created from very similar shapes. There is one person resting next to the tipis, and five other people semi-hidden in the trees watching the sunset. The entire piece is made up of flowing organic shapes and flat blocks of colour and value. The emotions of the piece could be described as calm and restful.
Record your ideas using a method of your choice. Share your thoughts with a partner, if possible.
Action
Get ready, get set…
Daphne Odjig
The painting that you explored in the Minds On was by the Anishinaabe artist Daphne Odjig.
Daphne Odjig was an Anishinaabe (Potawatomi and Odawa) artist. She was from Wikwemikong Unceded Territory, a First Nations community on Manitoulin Island. She learned how to draw and carve from her grandfather. She grew up to create beautiful drawings and paintings which shared her Anishinaabe culture and traditions.
Did You Know?
What Nations does the Anishinaabe culture include?
Anishinaabe means the “people from whence lowered” or “original person” and includes the following Nations:
- Naakowe
- Mississauga
- Odishwaagaamii’ininiwag
- Amikwaa
- Boodiwaadmi (Potawatomi)
- Ojibwe
- Odaawa
These Nations share common histories, languages and cultural values.
Anishinaabe territory spans the Great Lakes region and what is now referred to as northern Ontario, western Quebec and Manitoba and Saskatchewan and into the northern United States.
The Ojibwe (Chippewas), Odawa and Boodiwaadmi (Potawatomi) Nations formed the Three Fires Confederacy over 1000 years ago and it still remains today.
Daphne Odjig helped start the 1970s artists’ alliance called the Professional Native Indian Artists Inc., more commonly known as the Indigenous Group of Seven. The seven artists are:
- Jackson Beardy (Cree)
- Eddy Cobiness (Ojibway)
- Alex Janvier (Dene, Saulteaux)
- Norval Morrisseau (Ojibway)
- Daphne Odjig (Potawatomi, Odawa)
- Carl Ray (Cree)
- Joseph Sanchez (Pueblo, Spanish, German)
Odjig created artwork for over 60 years that helped share Anishinaabe perspectives, identity and cultural values. Odjig and the Indigenous Group of Seven were foundational to beginning of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada.
Her work included creation stories, personal stories of struggle and change, and her ideas and perspectives on colonial (settler) history and politics. Her work told a different story than what many Canadians had learned about Indigenous peoples and their unique cultures.
Odjig developed her own signature style that featured bold, sweeping colours and lines, natural shapes and contours. Her artwork included inspirations from Cubism and from Surrealism in her work.
Artists as changemakers
Odjig was not only an artist but also an activist and change-maker. At the time, Indigenous art forms were not treated or valued in the same way as Western forms of art. This meant that Indigenous artists did not have the same opportunities as artists who were non-Indigenous.
Throughout her life, she worked to advocate for more representation and recognition of Indigenous art and artists in Canada. She challenged the barriers that Indigenous artists faced. She supported and inspired many Indigenous young artists throughout Turtle Island.
Her passion led her to create the first Indigenous-owned art gallery in Canada. Daphne Odjig’s artwork and her galleries provided the space for Indigenous art and artists to bloom and grow in Canada.
Before exploring more paintings by Daphne Odjig, it helps to learn more about the cultural context of an artwork to understand its intended meaning.
In art, and in life, it is important for people to learn about diverse cultures so that they can treat everyone in a respectful and kind way. Cultural diversity not only make people unique but also provide diverse perspectives or ideas when understanding the world. Diversity make our communities stronger and better!
Did You Know?
Challenging discrimination
For a long time, Canadians did not know very much about Indigenous peoples. They weren’t taught very much about First Nations, Inuit or Métis peoples in school or through newspapers or television. Most of what they did learn did not reflect the true history or lived experiences of Indigenous peoples or their rich and vibrant cultures, traditions, identities, and families.
There was a lot of discrimination and prejudice towards Indigenous peoples in Canada. They experienced ongoing oppression by the churches, government and in society in general.
It was difficult to be Indigenous or have pride in your culture during this time period. At one point, Daphne Odjig had to change her last name to Fisher (the translation of Odjig in English) because of the racism she experienced living in Parry Sound, Ontario. This all contributed to why Canadians did not understand or make space for Indigenous art and artists like Daphne Odjig.
Understanding Indigenous worldviews
Indigenous worldviews offer a diverse perspective than Western or European perspectives.
Indigenous perspectives consider the interconnectedness of all living things. Though distinct, most if not all Indigenous worldviews believe that the land, the waters, the sun, the moon, the rocks, the hills, the mountains, the wind, the sky, etc., all have a spirit and are animate, living things.
Within many Indigenous languages, the names for the rocks, the lands and the waters are described using animate language to acknowledge the spirit that lives within each.
Within Indigenous worldviews, it is understood that all of the elements in the universe are connected; and are all dependent on one another for life. Humans are not superior to any other living part of the Earth. They must live in harmony with nature.
Use your understanding of Indigenous worldviews to answer the following true or false questions.
Daphne Odjig’s artwork
Now that you’ve learned more, what kind of story or message do you think Daphne Odjig might include in her paintings? Explore the following artwork and consider what ideas she may be sharing.
Let’s revisit Daphne Odjig’s work entitled And Some Watched the Sunset.
And Some Watched the Sunset by Daphne Odjig, 1985
A calm evening with a sun setting in the background. Several tipis are set up underneath large trees. The tipis and the trees are created from very similar shapes. There is one person resting next to the tipis, and five other people semi-hidden in the trees watching the sunset. The entire piece is made up of flowing organic shapes and flat blocks of colour and value. The colours are mostly cool colours through the forest, with several small amounts of a warm red colour in the sunset and in the tipis and some clothing. The emotions of the piece could be described as calm and restful.
How many people do you notice in this painting?
How does Daphne Odjig use line, shape and colour to create this scene?
Press ‘Answer’ to compare your answers with one possible answer.
The artist used curved lines, overlapping shapes to create depth and a variety of different deep colours in And Some Watched the Sunset.
What might this painting communicate to an audience about Anishinaabe life?
Press ‘Answer’ to check your ideas with a possible answer.
The painting And Some Watched the Sunset explores the connection between the community and nature as the trees are very similar in shape and feel as the tipis. The people are smaller and to the sides and back of the piece showing their interconnectedness. There is a peacefulness to this painting which also shares the connection between the community and the natural environment.
The Oneness of It All
Explore the following painting entitled The Oneness of It All. As you explore the painting, notice if there are similarities to the previous painting And Some Watched the Sunset.
The Oneness of It All by Daphne Odjig, 1985
A image of a forest created from layered organic shapes. The three tree shapes that appear the closest have faces and rough shapes of bodies that appear to be similar to humans, or perhaps there are people within the trees. Two of the people are larger and appear awake. A third person is asleep and could be a child or a younger person. The emotions of the art piece are calm, relaxed and restful. The piece is made up of cool colours that add to the feeling of calm, with small uses of a warm colour as a contrast.
Portfolio
Noticing similarities
Consider the two paintings And Some Watched the Sunset and The Oneness of It All. What are similarities between the two paintings? What message might the artist be sharing?
Record your ideas in your art journal or using a method of your choice.
Press ‘Answer’ to consider a possible response.
I think the artist is trying to share that everything is connected. The painting’s title The Oneness of it All might mean that all parts of nature, including humans, are connected to one another. We are all part of creation and we rely on nature to survive. The waters run through the trees and connect with the same colours of the sky. She illustrates grandmother images in the trees to reflect how the trees are our old and wise teachers. They care for us and watch over a younger person in the waters.
This painting uses similar colours and lines as the And Some Watched the Sunset painting. There is also the theme of interconnectedness between humans and the environment in both paintings.
Elements of design and Daphne Odjig
For the following task, you may choose either The Oneness of it All or And Some Watched the Sunset
Which elements of design did Daphne Odjig use to create her painting? How did she use them?
As you explore the following elements of design, record your thoughts in the following fillable Odjig’s Elements of Design Chart or using a method of your choice.
What are the elements of design?
The elements of design are the basic attributes, ideas and parts of artwork that are used to create an artwork. The seven elements are line, shape, colour, value, form, texture and space.
Press the following tabs to check out the elements of design!
Lines are the paths left by a moving point, such as a pencil or a digital drawing tool. A line can be a mark, a guide, or a boundary that leads the audience’s attention in an artwork. Diversity in the type, orientation, and/or quality of lines can be used to suggest a variety of ideas, shapes, or emotions. For example, horizontal and curving lines can feel restful or inactive. Vertical and diagonal lines can create the idea of movement or action. Horizontal and vertical lines can create stability.
A shape is a form that is enclosed or outlined. For example, when three lines meet they create the shape of a triangle. A shape has length and width. A shape’s boundary can be created by line, value, colour and/or texture. Shapes may be geometric or organic.
In scientific terms, colour is the particular wavelength of light viewed by the eye when an object reflects or emits light. The four characteristics of colour are hue, value, intensity, and temperature. Colour categories include primary, secondary and tertiary. Colours can also be sorted into the temperatures of warm or cool colours. Cool colours include blue, green and purple. Warm colours include red, orange and yellow.
Value is the lightness or darkness in an artwork. Value is created by the gradual changes in the lightness or darkness of an artwork even when colour is absent. Changes in value can be created by adding white or black to a colour and/or by erasing or adding more art medium to an art piece. Value is used to create the illusion of texture and light in art.
Form is the three-dimensional shape and dimensions of an artwork, or objects within an artwork. Form can also mean the illusion of a two-dimensional object being three-dimensional. A shape can appear to be a form with length, width and height by using shading and/or perspective. Forms can be geometric or organic.
Texture is the feeling and appearance of a surface. Texture can be smooth, rough, furry or soft. Texture can be the illusion of texture or real texture.
Space can be the area around, inside, or between parts of an artwork. Space can be a physical distance between objects. Space can also be an illusion of distance in a two-dimensional piece. The illusion of space can be created by a variety of techniques, including overlapping parts, a variety of sizes, changing value or colour, the use of detail, and perspective.
Which of the previous elements of design did Daphne Odjig use to create her painting? How did she use them?
Complete the Odjig’s Elements of Design Chart in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts.
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Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Odjig’s Elements of Design Chart.
Portfolio
Art analysis
Choose one of the following questions to respond to.
- What are you curious about in either of these paintings?
- If you could ask Odjig three questions about her work, what would you ask?
Record your thoughts in your art journal or using a method of your choice.
Consolidation
Putting it all together
Pow-wow Dancer
Explore the following painting entitled Pow-wow Dancer by Daphne Odjig.
A pow-wow dancer is dancing. The dancer is created from flowing organic shapes that suggest movement and energy. The flat colours used are bright and create a feeling of happiness and excitement. The dancer is wearing regalia for the pow-wow ceremony, which emphasizes the energetic dance moves and the long tradition of pow-wow dancing in Indigenous ceremonies and celebrations.
As you learned previously, when Odjig was growing up, it was very difficult to be an Indigenous person. In First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures dance is used for celebration, ceremony, and for entertainment. However, under the laws of the Indian Act, Indigenous dances were banned from being practiced in an effort to assimilate Indigenous peoples into mainstream, European society. For decades, Indigenous peoples, specifically First Nations individuals, were not allowed to wear their regalia, perform using traditional instruments, or gather in groups to celebrate, mourn, heal or have fun together. Despite these policies, Indigenous peoples resisted and continue to practice and perform their dances today across Turtle Island.
In 1964, Daphne attended her first Powwow in her home community of Wikwemikong. A Powwow is gathering of different Indigenous nations to celebrate their rich cultures through song, dance, art, food and more. She recalled dancing to the drum for the first time and feeling like she was an Indigenous person after many years of feeling disconnected.
Based on what you have learned about Daphne Odjig and Indigenous worldviews, what might Odjig be communicating in the painting you explored entitled Pow-wow Dancer?
What do you notice? How does it make you feel?
How did Daphne Odjig use line, shape and/or colour to create her painting?
Press ‘Answer’ to check out a possible answer.
The painting entitled Pow-wow Dancer reveals Odjig’s passion for the arts and her love of her heritage. It might make an audience feel happy and energetic. The flowing organic forms and the bright colours in this piece share the strength and power of the dancers and the importance of ceremony.
Daphne Odjig’s artwork was celebrated by Canada Post and her painting became a stamp in 2011.
Show your learning
“If my work as an artist has somehow helped to open doors between our people and the
non-native community, then I am glad. I am even more deeply pleased if it has helped to
encourage the young people that have followed our generation, to express their pride in
our heritage more openly, more joyfully than I would have ever dared to think
possible.”
- Daphne Odjig
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Celebrating First Nations culture
Consider the previous quote from the artist Daphne Odjig. What do you think Daphne Odjig meant when she shared that she wishes to “encourage the young people that have followed our generation, to express their pride in our heritage more openly, more joyfully…” ?
Heritage is defined as the knowledge and understanding passed down from generation to generation. How does Daphne share her heritage?
Why should Daphne’s work be celebrated across Canada?
Record your thoughts in your art journal or using a method of your choice.
Press ‘Answer’ to consider a possible answer.
I think Daphne’s quote is referring to how she wants to connect the next generation of Indigenous youths and artists with the opportunities and recognition she worked very hard to make for herself. I think she shares her heritage through the subject matter and the people she includes in her paintings. Daphne’s work should be celebrated as significant and beautiful pieces of work that reflect a large part of Canada’s artistic culture.
If possible, share your answers and your learning with a partner.
Reflection
As you read the following descriptions, select the one that best describes your current understanding of the learning in this activity. Press the corresponding button once you have made your choice.
I feel…
Now, expand on your ideas by recording your thoughts using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.
When you review your notes on this learning activity later, reflect on whether you would select a different description based on your further review of the material in this learning activity.