Morning Harmony
Provenance:
The Jerry Litman Collection, Kenora;
By descent to present Private Collection, Winnipeg
As a resident of Kenora and later Winnipeg, Dr. Jerry Litman (1928 - 2020) brought a genuine excitement to collecting works of Indigenous art that reflected the communities in which he worked. Dr. Litman practiced as a dentist in remote areas of Ontario and Manitoba where there was limited access to dental services, and worked with Indigenous communities in these areas.
It was through this work that Litman encountered many remarkable artists, including Josh Kakegamic and Norval Morrisseau. With an eye for quality and a love for this flourishing art movement, Dr. Litman collected over 250 paintings by First Nations and Inuit artists.
Much of the Litman collection has been dispersed among museums and university collections close to the family's heart, notably the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and "The Muse" - Douglas Family Art Centre in Kenora.
Clemence Wescoupe
1951 - 2018
longtime resident of Long Plains First Nation (Ojibway), Clemence was born there in 1951. Following in the footsteps of contemporaries Norval Morrisseau (Ojibway) and Daphne Odjig (Odawa), he was one of the founding members of the Woodlands School of First Nations art in Canada, and is one of the best-selling and most prominent artists of the genre.
The beauty of Clemence’s work is found in its simplicity. He is a master in the use of negative space, his long and elegant lines sweep the eye across his scenes, his use of colour is bold yet restrained. His subjects are at once both natural and highly spiritual, capturing the essence of the old ways and the keen emotion of their loss and rediscovery.
Wescoupe's artwork focuses on the birds, animals, legends, people, and spirituality of the Ojibwa people. His work has been exhibited in Europe and throughout North America.
