Daphne Odjig RCA (1919-Present)

^{Daphne
Odjig is one of Canada’s most celebrated Aboriginal painters and printmakers.
Born on Manitoulin Island’s Wikwemikong reserve of Odawa, Potawatomi and
English heritage, she first learned about art-making from her grandfather, Jonas
Odjig, a tombstone carver who taught her to draw and paint. She later moved to
British Columbia. Odjig’s style, which underwent several developments and
adaptations from decade to decade, manages to always remain identifiable. Mixing
traditional Aboriginal styles and imagery with Cubist and Surrealist influences,
Odjig’s work is defined by curving contours, strong outlining, overlapping
shapes and an unsurpassed sense of colour. Her work has addressed issues of
colonization, the displacement of Aboriginal peoples, and the status of
Aboriginal women and children, bringing Aboriginal political issues to the
forefront of contemporary art practices and theory. The jury described Daphne
Odjig’s work as “groundbreaking”, noting her unique voice and her role as
a “real champion” of Aboriginal artists. Odjig moved to Toronto for a formal
art education. She went on to continue her art education in Sweden. She fused
together elements of aboriginal pictographs and First Nations arts with European
techniques and styles of the 20th century. Her breakthrough into the art work
happened in the 1960s when she received critical acclaim for her pen and ink
drawings of Cree people from northern Manitoba.She
explored erotic themes in some of her paintings which is rare in First Nations
art work. In 1974, Odjig illustrated Tales from the Smokehouse, a
collection of traditional First Nations erotica written by Herbert T. Schwarz.
That same year, she opened the first Canadian gallery exclusively representing
First Nations art in Winnipeg.In 1973, Odjig
became a founding member of the Professional Native Indian Artists Association,
along with Alex
Janvier and Norval
Morrisseau.}^{She is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy.}


Mother and Children •	Untitled Ceramic Pot •

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