The Wedding 

Editor: This painting is "The Wedding" by Norval Morrisseau, using acrylic paint. The vibrant colors and strong outlines give it an energy that's both exciting and a bit unsettling. What’s your interpretation of this work, and what stands out to you the most? Curator: Well, you nailed it on the energy—Morrisseau’s works are all about the life force, the connections between beings. And yes, they can be unsettling because he pulls back the curtain, shows us the spiritual world shimmering just beneath the surface. He was Ojibwe, and his paintings are deeply rooted in Anishinaabe cosmology. The figures, often enclosed in these cell-like compartments—think of them as energy fields—aren't just portraits, they're maps of relationships. The bold lines are like power conduits. Does the couple in the middle panel strike you as the main focus? Editor: They do, because they’re right in the center, with the animal figures over them. Curator: Exactly! The animal figures – often referred to as spirit animals – are a key. Look how they're almost mirroring each other. Morrisseau is showing us that marriage, particularly, isn’t just a union of two people, it's a spiritual contract witnessed, even guided, by these ancestral forces. The colours pulse with life, suggesting not just love but spiritual potency. Do you find yourself drawn to the symbolism or to the way that he balances representation and abstraction? Editor: It’s the symbolism – it makes me wonder about the stories behind it. I knew very little about Ojibwe cosmology before. Curator: And that’s the beauty of art, isn't it? It invites us to peek into worlds beyond our own, makes us a little more curious, a little more connected.