The Masterpiece 1982

Norval Morrisseau made *The Masterpiece* with acrylics, and, goodness, does it pop. The bright red ground immediately establishes a sense of vibrant energy. The colour is applied very directly and confidently. Morrisseau's lines are strong, almost graphic, and they create defined, contained areas of flat colour. There’s a real sense of visual harmony in the repeated circular forms and the relationships between the blues, greens, and purples. Look at the way the eyes of the figures are echoed in the flowers. Morrisseau’s work reminds me a little of Marsden Hartley’s, in its use of bold colour and simplified forms, but he has such a unique vision. We see him telling stories through a distinctly Indigenous lens, creating a pictorial language that’s both personal and deeply connected to his cultural heritage. There's an acceptance of art as something always in process, a conversation among artists and ideas, always open to new interpretations.