7 Father Teachings Asignment

This is my representation of the beaver based upon the Seven Father Teachings we researched during class for our decolonization project. Our poster displays the beaver, which represents the trait intelligence. We tried to put emphasis on the beavers brain and its relation to the earth, overall I think we did a good job representing the role of the beaver in first nation culture.

Logo final designs.

Rough logo designs.

Furious 8 (buffalopocalypse)

The art I chose for the aboriginal Pintrest assignment is a piece called The Chase by Kent Monkman, it is done with acrylic paint on a 84" x 126" canvas. In the painting Monkman depicts a modern buffalo hunt with his first nation chasing the buffalo through the crowded streets on a motorcycle. The artist uses a variation of lines depending on what he is drawing, for example the buffalos are all drawn in different styles, some have a more geometric “surreal” look while others are done more realistically. If you look on the fence in the background you can also see what looks like an interpretation of a cave painting. The artist uses more defined lines on objects such as the motorcycle and the buildings while the clouds are done in a more “fluffy” light style.

The first thing I see looking at this piece is the motorcycle this is because excluding the sky Monkman uses mostly washed out darker colors which automatically draws my attention to the motorcycle. I like the sort of offset of focus used in this picture. Positioning the motorcycle to the right of the buffalo gives a feeling of motion, It makes you see the buffalo as being enclosed or corralled. I also like that the buildings are well done but colored in a way so that they do not draw too much attention away from the piece.

When I see this artwork I feel as though Monkman is trying to create a metaphor for how the first nations were treated something about a man using more advanced technology (motorcycle) to herd/hunt the buffalo out of a city really seems more like symbolic meaning to me. I believe this represents the first nations being forced somewhere they don't belong (plotted land, reserves) and then being forced to always leave for a smaller and less ideal place.

Overall The Chase’s visual style alone is enough to make it an attractive piece but I also believe that the many possibilities of meanings are what would make it appeal to most people I think it is a tremendously powerful piece of art and I enjoyed reviewing it.