Alex Janvier
Encyclopedia
Alex Janvier, AOE
(born 1935) is a Native Canadian artist. As a member of the commonly referred to “Indian Group of Seven
”, Janvier is a pioneer of contemporary Canadian aboriginal art in Canada.
, northern Alberta
in 1935 of Dene Suline and Saulteaux
descent. At the age of eight, he was sent to the Blue Quills Residential Indian School near St. Paul, Alberta
, where the principal recognized his innate artistic talent and encouraged him in his art. Alex Janvier received formal art training from the Alberta Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary (now the Alberta College of Art and Design
) and graduated with honours in 1960. Immediately after graduation, Janvier took up an opportunity to instruct art at the University of Alberta
. In 1966, the federal Department of Indian and Northern Affairs commissioned him to produce 80 paintings. He helped bring together a group of artists for the Indians of Canada Pavilion at Expo 67
, among them Norval Morrisseau
and Bill Reid
. Janvier currently runs a gallery called Janvier Gallery in Cold Lake, AB with his family.
is a dome rising seven stories above the granite floor. Nineteen metres (62 feet) in diameter, the dome is adorned with Alex Janvier's striking abstract painting Morning Star. With the assistance of his son Dean, Janvier began painting in June 1993 and finished in September the same year. Morning Star covers 418 square metres (4,500 square feet).
The title Morning Star refers to the morning star as a guide or a means of finding direction. Each of the four distinct areas of colour in the outside ring represents a period in Native history:
"In the yellow quadrant, a balance of colour and shape reflects a time when the First Peoples were in harmony with nature, with the Great Spirit, and with each other. However, also represented in this yellow area is the arrival of Columbus in 1492, which changed the world of the First Peoples forever.
In the blue quadrant, a lack of decoration signifies the weakness of Native culture, overwhelmed by European culture. According to Janvier, the more Christianized Native people became, the more they turned to organic, flowing designs and the less they produced geometric designs.
The red quadrant depicts a time of revival and a new optimism. Struggle and disenchantment give way to a new determination on the part of First Peoples to take charge of their own future.
The last quadrant, white to link back to the white centre of Morning Star, portrays healing, renewed self-respect, reconciliation and restructuring - a return to a state of harmony. It represents the period following the point at which Janvier created Morning Star."
Alberta Order of Excellence
The Alberta Order of Excellence is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C...
(born 1935) is a Native Canadian artist. As a member of the commonly referred to “Indian Group of Seven
Indian Group of Seven
The Professional Native Indian Artists Incorporation, better known as the Indian Group of Seven, was a group of professional Indian artist from Canada, founded in November 1973....
”, Janvier is a pioneer of contemporary Canadian aboriginal art in Canada.
History
Alex Janvier was born on Le Goff Reserve, Cold Lake First NationsCold Lake First Nations
The Cold Lake First Nations form one of the First Nations of the Canadian Province of Alberta. In May 2008 2,342 people were members of this tribe, of which 1,189 lived within five reserves, about 220 km² large.- Early History :...
, northern Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
in 1935 of Dene Suline and Saulteaux
Saulteaux
The Saulteaux are a First Nation in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.-Ethnic classification:The Saulteaux are a branch of the Ojibwe nations. They are sometimes also called Anihšināpē . Saulteaux is a French term meaning "people of the rapids," referring to...
descent. At the age of eight, he was sent to the Blue Quills Residential Indian School near St. Paul, Alberta
St. Paul, Alberta
St. Paul is a town in east-central Alberta, Canada. It was formerly called St. Paul de Métis and was originally a French-Catholic settlement and mission to the Metis people....
, where the principal recognized his innate artistic talent and encouraged him in his art. Alex Janvier received formal art training from the Alberta Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary (now the Alberta College of Art and Design
Alberta College of Art and Design
-History:The Alberta College of Art & Design is a Canadian degree-granting, publicly-funded art and design college located in Calgary . It was known as the Provincial Institute of Technology and Arts, which was part of SAIT until 1985...
) and graduated with honours in 1960. Immediately after graduation, Janvier took up an opportunity to instruct art at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
. In 1966, the federal Department of Indian and Northern Affairs commissioned him to produce 80 paintings. He helped bring together a group of artists for the Indians of Canada Pavilion at Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
, among them Norval Morrisseau
Norval Morrisseau
Norval Morrisseau, CM , also known as Copper Thunderbird, was an Aboriginal Canadian artist. Known as the "Picasso of the North", Morrisseau created works depicting the legends of his people, the cultural and political tensions between native Canadian and European traditions, his existential...
and Bill Reid
Bill Reid
William Ronald Reid, OBC was a Canadian artist whose works included jewelry, sculpture, screen-printing, and painting. His work is featured on the Canadian $20 banknote.-Biography:...
. Janvier currently runs a gallery called Janvier Gallery in Cold Lake, AB with his family.
Style
Alex Janvier, the 'first Canadian native modernist,' has created a unique style of modernist abstraction, his own “visual language,” informed by the rich cultural and spiritual traditions and heritage of the Dene in northern Alberta. His abstract style is particularly suited to large-scale works.Politics
Alex Janvier signed his paintings with his Treaty Number from 1966 to 1977 to protest government policies against Aboriginal people.Morning Star
At the river end of the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of CivilizationCanadian Museum of Civilization
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
is a dome rising seven stories above the granite floor. Nineteen metres (62 feet) in diameter, the dome is adorned with Alex Janvier's striking abstract painting Morning Star. With the assistance of his son Dean, Janvier began painting in June 1993 and finished in September the same year. Morning Star covers 418 square metres (4,500 square feet).
The title Morning Star refers to the morning star as a guide or a means of finding direction. Each of the four distinct areas of colour in the outside ring represents a period in Native history:
"In the yellow quadrant, a balance of colour and shape reflects a time when the First Peoples were in harmony with nature, with the Great Spirit, and with each other. However, also represented in this yellow area is the arrival of Columbus in 1492, which changed the world of the First Peoples forever.
In the blue quadrant, a lack of decoration signifies the weakness of Native culture, overwhelmed by European culture. According to Janvier, the more Christianized Native people became, the more they turned to organic, flowing designs and the less they produced geometric designs.
The red quadrant depicts a time of revival and a new optimism. Struggle and disenchantment give way to a new determination on the part of First Peoples to take charge of their own future.
The last quadrant, white to link back to the white centre of Morning Star, portrays healing, renewed self-respect, reconciliation and restructuring - a return to a state of harmony. It represents the period following the point at which Janvier created Morning Star."
Awards
- 2010 Member of the Alberta Order of ExcellenceAlberta Order of ExcellenceThe Alberta Order of Excellence is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C...
- 2008 Mairon Nicoll Visual Art Award, Alberta Foundation for the Arts
- 2008 University of Calgary Honourary Degree, Doctor of Laws
- 2008 Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts
- 2008 University of Alberta Honourary Degree (Doctorate of Laws)
- 2007 Member of the Order of Canada.
- 2005 Centennial Medal for outstanding service to the people and province of Alberta.
- 2002 National Aboriginal Achievement Award
- 2001 Tribal Chiefs Institute Lifetime Achievement Award.
- 2001 Cold Lake First Nations Lifetime Achievement Award.
- 1992 Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts.
- 1985 Canada/China Cross Cultural Exchange Tour.
Films and Television
- 2006 CBC ArtSpot
- 2004 The Sharing Circle, segment featuring Alex Janvier.
- 1991 Investment in Art, Alberta Art Foundation, Edmonton, Alberta.
- 1991 Echo Des Songes, Arthur Lamothe, Montreal, Quebec.
- 1984 Seeing It Our Way: Alex Janvier, CBC Edmonton.
- 1983 Our Native Land: Alex Janvier, CBC/CBO.
- 1973 Canadian Indian Canvas, Henning Jacobsen Productions, Toronto, Ontario.
- 1973 Colours of Pride, National Film Board of Canada.
- 1973 Alex Janvier: The Native Artist, Alberta Native Communications Society.
Collections
- Alberta Art Foundation, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.
- Alberta Indian Arts and Crafts Society, Edmonton, Alberta.
- AMACO Canada Ltd., Calgary, Alberta.
- Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.
- The Late Helen E. Band Collection, Toronto, Ontario.
- The Saidye and Samuel Bronfman Memorial Collection, Montreal, Quebec.
- The Canada Council Art Bank, Hull, Quebec.
- Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec.
- Cinader Collection, Toronto, Ontario.
- Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, Ontario.
- Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Ottawa, Ontario.
- City of Edmonton, Edmonton, Alberta.
- Edmonton Public Schools Board, Edmonton, Alberta.
- Esso Oil Resources, Calgary, Alberta.
- Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta.
- Government of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.
- Gulf Oil Resources, Calgary, Alberta.
- McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinberg, Ontario.
- Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
- Montreal Museum of Fine Art, Montreal, Quebec.
- National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
- The Late Lester B. Pearson Collection, Ottawa, Ontario.
- Petro-Canada, Calgary, Alberta.
- Shell Canada, Calgary, Alberta.
- Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario.
- Toronto Dominion Bank, Toronto, Ontario.
- Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
External links
- Alex Janvier's Official Website
- Seventh Generation Gallery in the Netherlands, Europe, including art of Alex Janvier.