The artwork titled “Bear, Bird, Fish and Chicks,” created by Norval Morrisseau in 1995, is an exemplar of the Naïve Art (Primitivism) movement. As an animal painting, it is characterized by its vibrant colors and stylized depiction of wildlife, reflecting an unpretentious and instinctive approach to art-making that is associated with the movement.
In the artwork, Morrisseau employs a bold color palette that includes crimson red, blues, and vivid greens that form a backdrop to the central figures. The painting features an assemblage of various creatures, each rendered with a distinct outline that separates them from the rest, while also creating a sense of interconnectedness between them. The bear’s silhouette, which is ostensibly the largest figure, dominates the composition and seems to cradle the other forms. Within and around the bear are depictions of a bird and fish, their shapes integrated into the bear’s form in a nested and layered manner that suggests a symbolic or spiritual relationship among the animals.
Moreover, the artwork includes a series of smaller figures that resemble chicks, each portrayed with its own individual character yet part of a collective grouping. The overall design reflects a totemic arrangement, with creatures embedded within one another, creating a unity that speaks to the interconnectedness of all life. The use of concentric circles and internal patterns within the animal figures adds to the painting’s mystical and animistic qualities. The simplification of forms, coupled with the intuitive placement of colored shapes, contributes to the artwork’s primal and expressive essence, emblematic of Morrisseau’s unique style and the broader Naïve Art genre.
