Janvier received formal art training from the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary (now the Alberta University of the Arts) where he encountered the influence of European modernists. Janvier's practice also drew from the rich cultural and spiritual traditions of the Dene in northern Alberta.[6] He graduated with honours in 1960. He was one of the first Canadian First Nations artists to train in a professional art school.[7]
Janvier died on July 10, 2024, at the age of 89.[4][12][13]
Style
Janvier, the 'first Canadian native modernist,'[14] created a unique style of modernist abstraction, his own "visual language," informed by the rich cultural and spiritual traditions and heritage of the Dene in northern Alberta. His abstract style is particularly suited to large-scale works. He made magic arts[clarification needed] and three-dimensional works. Two of his stylistic influences among Western artists were Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky while, among Native traditions, he was particularly inspired by the abstract patterns of traditional hide-painting, beadwork and quillwork.[7]
Politics
Janvier signed his paintings with his treaty number from 1966 to 1977 to protest government policies against Aboriginal people.[15] He also made references to treaty language in the "ironic and allusive" titles of his art, such as "Sun Shines, Grass Grows, Rivers Flow", grounding his abstract art in political conflicts.[7]
Morning Star
In 1993, a large abstract painting by Janvier, Morning Star, was installed at the river end of the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of History, where a seven-storey-high dome rises above the granite floor. Janvier created the painting with the assistance of his son Dean, between June and September.[5] Janvier titled the work Morning Star in reference to the star's use as a direction-finder. He planned the four areas of colour in the outside ring to represent periods in Native 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.[16]
At the Cowley Abbott Auction of Important Canadian & International Art, December 6, 2023, Lot #20, Janvier's Ancient Relics (1980), oil on linen, 48 x 72 ins ( 121.9 x 182.9 cms ), Auction Estimate: $30,000.00 − $50,000.00, realized a price of $312,000.00.[6] At the same auction house, May 30, 2024, Lot #46, Dene (The People) (1991), acrylic on canvas, 60.25 x 48 in ( 153 x 121.9 cm ), Auction Estimate: $50,000.00 − $70,000.00, realized a price of $120,000.00.[20]
