New woodland school style

DEFINITION

A merging of Ojibway tradition with European notions of fine art, it was pioneered by Jackson Beardy. His art is representative of the New Woodland School style: iconic figures, an undifferentiated background, systems of linear determinatives, x-ray perspectives, and vibrant unmixed hues. With cultural specificity, it reflects his search for "a visual symbolic language that would convey a cohesive world view," as Colleen Cutschall described it in 1994. "Beardy created an art of profound cultural change ??? steeped both in a traditional heritage and a contemporary reality and relevance. His work is powerful in its historical, cultural and political significances." Source: AskART Biography, courtesy M.D. Silverbrooke