Curator & Collector

Understanding the aboriginal art of the northwest coast is a worthy endeavor; fortunately, the first steps are not difficult. This post functions as a table of contents, or index, to the posts in my series on the formal elements of the aboriginal art of the First Nations of the northwest coast. The series took as its starting point Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast, by Hilary Stewart. The book is a concise, well-written and well-illustrated guide to the basic shapes and animals of northwest coast aboriginal art; additionally, Stewart covers, albeit briefly, the significance of the animals in the mythology of the northwest coast First Nations. After summarizing Stewart’s treatment of the various shapes and elements, and the use of negative space, there are three posts of my own in which I apply that knowledge to three selected Roy Henry Vickers artworks.

Part I: Understanding Native Art of the Northwest Coast
Part II: The Ovoid
Part III: U-forms
Part IV: S-forms and Split U-forms
Part V: The Negative Space: Crescents, Circles, Ts, & Ys
Part VI: The Animals of Aboriginal Northwest Coast Art
Part VII: Raven and Whale (Roy Henry Vickers artwork)
Part VIII: The Westcoasters (Roy Henry Vickers artwork)
Part IX: Solstice 2001 (Roy Henry Vickers artwork)

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Note: The collage above was created using Picasa, but this is a tool I wish Microsoft would put in its less clunky and more user-friendly Windows Live Photo Gallery; I’m not really happy with the collage, but my own skills are too weak in the area of manipulating graphical elements on the computer.

Solstice 2001 image from Roy Henry Vickers’ “Copperman: The Art of Roy Henry Vickers”

Solstice 2001 belongs to a period in Roy Henry Vickers’ art long after the highly traditional forms of Raven and Whale, and yet there is still much to be appreciated in terms of traditional forms and subjects, quite apart from Vickers’ own comments on the spiritual and cultural allusion of the snow and the dancer in the sky.

The centerpiece of the artwork is, of course, the artist’s Eagle Aerie Gallery in Tofino, BC. The gallery, built by Vickers’ brother Arthur Vickers, has a Roy Henry Vickers-favourite element: the eagle. The eagle has a beak that curves down sharply, the chief characteristic of the eagle in northwest coast aboriginal art. In addition, the eye, tongue, and mouth are shown traditionally. There are three black-outlined ovoid shapes in the eagle, and corresponding negative-space ovoid shapes also. The human face below the eagle’s head is depicted completely traditionally. The doors show upside-down U-forms. Moreover, the interplay between mountain and sky on the left takes the form of a flying bird’s wings, head, and beak.

It is in the shrubs and trees, though, where one realizes just how important traditional forms and ways remain to the artist. What looks at first like snow-covered vegetation turns out to be teeming with birds and fish. This might seem to some a little whimsical; when one knows of the role of negative space in traditional northwest coast aboriginal art, though, the birds and fish in the shrubs and trees acquire new significance. Curiously, in a stroke of artistic creativity, Vickers has inverted the usual significance of the colours in this tree (the one on the right): the outer line is white, and the inner, negative space, is black!

The presence of the birds and fish in the trees and shrubs around the man-made building speak to the unity of the world we live in, a world not of man-over-nature, but of humans-as-part-of-nature. The upraised hands of the doorway-figure point, literally and figuratively, above to a spiritual element. Perhaps the chief reason why this image speaks to me is due to this unity of nature, humanity, the divine, and hope–all clad in the peaceful, beautiful shades of winter grey, black, and white. The photograph of Eagle Aerie Gallery that serves as the header for this blog is my own attempt at a modest tribute to Vickers, his brother, and their wonderful northwest coast art.
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This blog post is the concluding one in my series on the forms of northwest coast aboriginal art; the next post will be an index or table of contents, and then I will be introducing two coins with aboriginal designs in the forthcoming posts. There is, of course, much more material to come.

The Westcoasters, taken from Roy Henry Vickers’ book “Solstice: The Art of Roy Henry Vickers”

Roy Henry Vickers’ 1982 work The Westcoasters is an early transitional work. In the book Solstice, it is, in fact, the first work not to make more or less exclusive use of the traditional shapes of northwest coast aboriginal art. Only two earlier works, Full Moon, and Loon, had made use of other colours (yellow and aquamarine, respectively). The Westcoasters, then, marks a start in a new direction, combining, as it does, a rather realistic portrayal of the human figures, the very realistic portrayal of the Nuu-chah-nulth canoe, the stylized portrayal of the rain, with the rhythms of western art and the use of a non-traditional third colour in more than one shade.

Nevertheless, the first shape that meets the eye is an ovoid (though, in a twist, it is upside-down). Ovoid-like shapes, or stretched U-shapes, cover the sky with clouds. The characteristic negative spaces, the T- or Y-shapes, are also present where expected–between the form lines of the clouds. There are split U-forms, too: in the eight red and white designs of the boat, and in the body of the right-most figure. Negative space also exists, though in a more modern usage, in the body of the figures on the left and in the center.

After the (European-centric) first view of the top left, the viewer moves from the upside-down ovoid, down and right along the stylized rain, into the water and towards the two figures in the lower left part of the boat. The eye then travels, with the boat, up the wave, to the prow of the boat, which in turn points to the thinnest part of the clouds. Since each cloud to the left drops down lower than the one before it, the eye moves leftward and continues in a circular, counter-clockwise motion. When one steps back from this, one sees that the sky and the boat are pointing right–also the direction that the lead figure in the boat is looking. The storm thins to the right, and so the figures are traveling in the right direction, though whether the storm will pass their destination by after they get there is an open question.)

The only colour in the picture comes from the human figures. Their noses and arms are red with the cold; also, they have painted their canoe with a red design.

The text makes the artwork a tribute to the First Nations of the West Coast, and it surely this, but in a larger sense the work seems to me a metaphor for human existence, meaning, and creativity: human red on the grey canvas of nature. Not that nature is discounted as lesser; far from it. (The next image in Solstice is a brilliant sunset.) With hard work and brains (the latter embodied by the navigator at the front), together with creativity, the artwork seems to say, we are able to go through life together in a beautiful, challenging world.

Raven and Whale, taken from the 2010 Roy Henry Vickers calendar

In the previous six posts, we looked at the various formal elements of the aboriginal art of the northwest coast. These included shapes: ovoids, U-forms, split U-forms, and S-forms. We also saw how the form lines (in black) create negative white shapes, often crescents, circles, T- and Y-shapes. Additionally, we learned that the secondary colour in traditional First Nations art is red. Finally, we learned the distinguishing characteristics of several key animals.

And so we have Roy Henry Vickers’ 1979 work, Raven and Whale. The most basic shape, the ovoid, is immediately apparent in the shape on the raven’s wings, and around its eye, although the form-line does not enclose the whole shape. U forms and split U-forms exist throughout the work, for example, in the wings, underneath the ovoids. Additionally, S-forms are ubiquitous, usually red-coloured (e.g., in the bodies of the raven and the whale).

The use of negative space is also quite important, and traditional; again, we have the circles (the whale’s eye), and in his tale, and the raven’s talons; the crescents (in the raven’s eye and his tongue), and the T- or Y-shapes (e.g. at the top of the joint in the raven’s left wing). Finally, we have the presence of the distinguishing features of the whale: many teeth, a tail with two flukes, and pectoral and dorsal fins. The raven is characterized by means of his wings, and especially by his long beak, which shows his tongue. (Additionally, although I cannot be certain, it may be that the negative white shape at the tip of his beak above his tongue is a stylized circle representing the sun (alternatively, it may represent air, or something I am unaware of.)

In Raven and Whale, then, what we have is two animals depicted in the traditional shapes, lines, colours, and characteristics of the art of the First Nations of the northwest coast. Perhaps less traditional is the juxtaposition–not on a three-dimensional totem pole, but on a two-dimensional canvas–of the raven and whale. The whale appears to have just broken the surface of the water, and is now diving below. The raven appears to be sitting on him for the fraction of a second that he can. The artist’s text in the calendar relates that this artwork was a golden wedding anniversary present from a young artist who was having “difficulty” understanding how the two individuals in question had been able to remain together. Certainly, the artwork fits the occasion and the circumstances of a wedding anniversary in a world of divorce. Opposites attract, but how do they stay together?

I must admit that this inspired, wondering meditation on love and marriage is my favourite of Vickers’ early works.

Although the image appears traditional to anyone with even the smallest familiarity with First Nations art, it is helpful to be able to identify the traditional forms and characteristics that Vickers has made use of here. It is even more interesting to me, though, to see many of these same formal elements of traditional aboriginal northwest coast art in the post-traditional Vickers, the subject of the next two posts.

(Note: by “post-traditional,” I do not being “nontraditional”; as we shall see, even when Vickers does not appear “traditional,” he makes use of traditional artistic elements. Furthermore, even after the transition from exclusively traditional works to the works that he is best known for, Vickers still chose to create purely traditional art.)

Bill Reid’s Mythic Messengers

This is the final post in my series–inspired by Hilary Stewart’s book Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast–on the isolated forms of aboriginal northwest coast art. Each of the five previous posts has focused on the lines, shapes, or spaces used in the First Nations art of the Northwest coast. This post will look, rather schematically, at the portrayal of the animals. The principle source is again Stewart’s book, though it should be noted that Stewart’s treatment is much fuller than my summary of her–for one thing, her book includes notes on the historical usage, significance, and meaning of the animals–several of which were used as family crests–whereas this post does not. This is just one of many reasons why one should buy the book, rather than relying only on my summaries.

In the following chart, I have summarized the primary distinguishing features of each animal; additionally, where I have taken a picture myself, I have included a link to an image of the animals in question; this is primarily because my blog is a personal self-expression, though an added benefit is that the reader can have yet another good reason to buy Stewart’s book, which includes many different visual examples. Most of the examples are actually of three-dimensional forms, but the same characteristics exist in this form, also.

The primary animals of the First Nations’ art of the northwest coast include the bear, wolf, killer whale/orca, eagle, raven, frog, beaver, salmon, dogfish (shark), mosquito, sea monster, and thunderbird. Other animals–which this series will not cover–include the cormorant, mountain goat, otter, sea lion, seal, hawk, hummingbird, loon, owl, “sisiutl,” halibut, and other types of fish.

The distinguishing features of the animals are (with the more important animals listed first, and the two great mythical animals last):

• Bear: flared nostrils, short nose and ears, wide mouth, many teeth
• Wolf: long snout, larger ears, many teeth, curved tail
• Killer whale/orca: “round, snouted head with a large mouth and many teeth, a blow hole, a dorsal fin, a pectoral fin, and a tail with symmetrical flukes”; at least two of these are present in any artwork depicting a killer whale (Stewart, p. 42)
• Eagle: wings, beak ending in a “strong downward curve” (p. 54), tongue, and “ears”
• Raven: straight, long beak; often, the tongue, and a circle representing the sun are present
• A more typical raven (this is a later update to this list)
• Frog: large mouth, usually with thick lips, and a flexed body; there are no teeth, ears, or tail
• Beaver: large teeth, and a crosshatched tail
• Salmon: none given, though the halibut has distinguishing features
• Dogfish/shark: “domed” head, a mouth with teeth, with the ends coming down at the corners (the view of the shark from its underside!), and gill slits on both sides of the mouth
• Mosquito: a long proboscis
• Sea monster/wasgo: features belonging to whales & wolves; often depicted eating killer whales
• Thunderbird: large wings; a tail, a “curved appendage” on its head, a curved beak, and clawed feet

All the images linked to above were taken by me; all are posted on this blog, except the more typical raven, and the numismatic items, which will be posted in the near future; after viewing the images and the information, I would encourage readers to click on the image of Bill Reid’s Mythic Messengers, above, and try to identify all the animals. Bonus marks if you get them all correct!

The next three posts after this will look at three different artworks by my favorite artist, Roy Henry Vickers, examining them from a formal perspective, and thus we will have the chance to apply the knowledge gained from the Stewart book.
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Photograph Information & Answers
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Slightly altered image of negative spaces taken from
Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast

The negative space in northwest coast art is as important as the positive space. Stewart explains the presence of the negative shapes: crescents, circles, Ts, and Ys, as follows:

In the northern art style particularly, the form lines curve, connect, and flow continuously, and where a heavy line meets a curved one, a simple device is used to avoid a thick, clumsy look. The artist adds a negative shape in the form of a crescent, a T or a Y at the junction…. Where two heavy lines meet, or in any other area where the mass of colour is unbroken, the negative relief may be a circle. One authority has described the negative circle as a crescent which has “fallen in on itself” (p. 11).

The image shown above, a detail of a larger image that appears in Stewart’s book, shows each shape. The white space is conventionally-termed the “negative” space, and the crescents, circles, Ts and Ys all happen, fortuitously enough, to be present here. Stewart sums up the importance of the negative shapes thus:

The precision of two-dimensional art can be appreciated by realizing that to alter or incorrectly render the line of a positive component is to impare the shape of the negative.

The reader nows knows the basic formal elements of the aboriginal art of the northwest coast: ovoids, U-forms, split U-forms, and S-forms; these are created from thick form lines, usually black. Red is added in some cases as a secondary colour. White spaces are created by the negative space between the black form lines; these may take the forms of crescents, circles, T- and Y-shapes.

I will not summarize Stewart’s excellent treatment of facial elements, including eyes, eyebrows, noses, etc., but the next and probably final post in this series on the formal elements of northwest coast art will look–very, very briefly–at the animal features that are conventionally used as identifying characteristics by the aboriginal artists of the northwest coast. Following this, I will examine from a formal perspective three of the artworks of my favourite artist, Roy Henry Vickers: a very traditional work, a transitional one, and a work that is after the transitional phase.

Image of a wider U-form taken from
Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast

As mentioned in the previous post, the U-form shape has a couple of basic derivatives: the S-form and the split U-form. (There are also four-way split U-forms, and I have seen something that certainly could be termed a three-way split U-form.)

The S-form has been likened by Stewart in her book to “two halves of a U form joined in opposite directions” (p. 22):

Detail of image; for the source, see under the first image above

In addition to the S-form, there is also a U-form-derived split U-form, and this is exactly what it sounds like:

Detail of image; for the source, see under the first image above

Again, the proportions of the shape can vary dramatically. Commenting on this shape, Stewart notes that the Haida word for the split U-form is “flicker feather”; the idea of this expression is shown in the photograph below:

Detail of image; for the source, see under the first image above

The U-form, split U-form, and S-form, then, together with the ovoid, are the most basic shapes of the traditional aboriginal art of the northwest coast. These shapes are made using the basic form-line, which is usually black. The form line, though, while positive, is actually used to create negative shapes–the subject of the next post.

Slightly altered image of a U-form taken from
Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast

A second basic shape of the aboriginal art of the northwest coast is the U-form. U-forms seem more capable than ovoids of greater variety in terms of the proportions of the width to the height, although that may be my own ignorance speaking. The next two post will look at two forms derived from the U-form.

Slightly altered image of an ovoid figure taken from
Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast

The shape shown above, now conventionally termed an “ovoid,” is the basic art shape of the First Nations of the northwest coast. As Hilary Stewart notes in Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast, this is essentially a rectangle that has had its top pulled up. The bottom line experiences a pull-up of pressure too, as do the sides. The exact angles and proportions need not be identical to the ovoid shown above.

Ovoids may be heads, eyes, and other shapes in the First Nations art of the northwest coast. Additionally, ovoids may be placed within ovoids, so that a black shape would be inside the white space of another black shape. Usually, the main form lines are black, with secondary lines the colour red.

The present banner of this blog, introduced here, shows an ovoid used as an eagle’s head.

An essential book: Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast

During the past few years, I have begun to be more interested in understanding the native art of the northwest coast as art; some months ago, I found this little treasure of a book that has helped me to take steps towards doing just that. A number of my forthcoming posts will summarize what I have been able to learn of this fascinating art form from this short volume by Hilary Stewart.

By way of background, I should mention that Stewart’s book, which concentrates on two dimensional art, has already been summarized on the internet at Native Online, so I will not be doing a detailed summary here. An excellent personal essay on the appreciation of northwest coast native art can be found at Bruce Byfield’s blog.