Moose Giant 1993

Norval Morrisseau made this ink drawing on paper, called Moose Giant, sometime during his lifetime. It's all about simple marks, a bunch of dots, straight lines and semi-circles. The way the artist breaks down the image into these basic shapes reminds me that everything, even a giant moose, can be understood through the simplest elements. The texture isn't something you can touch, but the density of the ink creates a visual buzz. The moose's body has this field of dots, like a constellation, which contrasts with the clean, bold outlines. Look closely at the legs and those pine trees; each one is slightly different, a testament to the hand-drawn mark, the imperfections make it so vibrant and alive. Morrisseau's work speaks to the visual language of storytelling, like pictographs or comic books. It's a bit like looking at a Cy Twombly, scratching away at meaning. There is a sense that art is just a conversation between people, a way to draw connections between one another.