Thunderbirds

Year completed: 1977
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size (inches): 32 x 26
Size (cm): 80 x 65

Status: Available for Purchase

Observations: The thunderbird is the name taken by Norval Morrisseau and used as his principal signature, in that sense, this piece is something of a spiritual self-portrait. Below the figure of the thunderbird are three loons, which represent home, tranquility, and husbandry. The formal composition of the painting gives it an iconic quality, with the figures in vivid relief against the a simple pale blue background. The image of the thunderbird is backgrounded by the sun, giving it a vertical quality of ascent into the sky to receive wisdom from the great sky being, Manitou. Norval saw himself as the messenger, as the thunderbird, the bird who emerges from the clouds.