Compare "Morning Star" - Alex Janvier

Made in Canada "Morning Star" print measures approximately 8" x 6", and is double matted with white mats. Overall measurements: 11" x 14" (portrait orientation). The matted and framed print is double matted with white mats and metal framing measuring 12" x 14.25". Cultural Background: Dene Suline and Saulteaux Born in 1935, Alex Janvier was raised in the nurturing care of his family until the age of 8 when he was uprooted from his home and sent to the Blue Quills Indian Residential School near St. Paul, Alberta. Although Janvier speaks of having a creative instinct from as far back as he can remember, it was at the residential school that he was given the tools to create his first paintings. Unlike many Aboriginal artists of his time, Janvier received formal art training from the Alberta College of Art in Calgary and graduated with honours in 1960. In 1993, Morning Star was installed in the river end of the Canadian Museum of History's Grand Hall. The work's title refers to the star's use as a direction-finder. Janvier intended the four areas of colour in the outer ring to represent periods in Aboriginal history: yellow for early history in harmony with nature; blue for the changes brought about by contact with European civilization; red for revival and optimism; and white for reconciliation and a return to harmony.