by Nicholas de Grandmaison
MAIN PAGE ⎔ SECTION PAGE ⎔ SITE MAP ⎔ GLOSSARY
ART OF THE SUITE 3 AREA
AFTER THE BATH ⎔ BAIE ST. PAUL ⎔ CHIEF BEAR PAW ⎔ ERUPTION OF VESUVIUS IN 1774 ⎔ GRADY PAINTINGS ⎔ MONTREAL FROM THE MOUNTAIN ⎔ MYSTERIES ⎔ OXBOROUGH ⎔ STARLIGHT: INDIAN PAPOOSE ⎔ TOUCH OF AUTUMN ⎔ WOOD SECTION LANDSCAPE
APPEARANCE
49:40-49:44; 49:47-49:52; 50:01-50:07; 50:43-50:46
Seen first, and only, in the final twins scene.
IDENTITY
I had written this one off as completely unrecognizable, but thanks to going frame by frame I found this one frame where you can make out his white collar, and going off the fact that I’d just ID’d the one across the hall as another Nicholas de Grandmaison piece, it was simply a matter of pouring through his life’s works, looking for the white hoop.
As for the artist, I’ve written about him in the last entry, so head there for more.
CHIEF BEAR PAW – HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Info on him is scattered and fragmented, with some sources calling him Chief “David Bear’s Paw” and some calling him “Bear Paw”. There was also another Chief Bear Paw, who was his father, so that’s confusing.
Anyhow, Chief Bear’s Paw was an elder to the Stoney-Nakoda, which means he most certainly knew Chief Walking Buffalo (who appears in the Colorado lounge), who was 6 years old and present when the elder statesman was signing Treaty 7 in 1877 at Blackfoot Crossing. The Treaty lead to some very harsh winters for the Stoney-Nakoda people, as they struggled to understand what they’d agreed to with the Canadian government, and perhaps that’s the primary reason these men are being invoked by the film. But there’s a good deal more to say about the hardship they faced from the treaty, thanks to the brutal cultural tyranny of Canadians.
Incidentally, the other Stoney-Nakoda elders who signed the treaty were named John and Jacob, two names with significance I probably don’t need to further underline.
One party associated with Bear’s Paw was William and Joshua Twin, who were Stoney-Nakoda rangers, it seems. And they were known to Mary Schäffer, the woman who named the mountains in the Maligne Lake painting. That painting is of course a twin to the first shot in the film, and here Danny’s meeting the Grady twins for the last time.
Also, the name “Bear’s Paw” is interesting since the band of Stoney-Nakodas that Oxborough and de Grandmaison were so fond of painting was the Bearspaw band. So this “Chief” Bear’s Paw could imply that, by meeting the twins, Danny is not meeting the real Grady girls (who were 8 and 10) but one of the many tentacles of the “Chief” of the Overlook. But that’s a matter for a different analysis.
THE BATTLE OF BEAR’S PAW
There was also something called the Battle of the Bears Paw which occurred in the same year as the signing of Treaty 7, which didn’t have to do with our Chief here, but with nearby mountains of the same name. I can’t say for certain that that’s being referenced intentionally, but I wanted to point out how one of the main architects of that battle was named Looking Glass. As in Alice’s Adventures Through the Looking Glass. And here we have two very Alice-looking young ladies.
Also, according to my analysis of the F21 photos, the games room would likely be north of the lobby, so when Danny’s seeing the twins, they would be standing right above a spot in the lobby back hall where a twin-pillar-shaped time card puncher is. So, for reasons too complex to explain here, I’m now thinking that games room Danny would’ve been looking south to see the twins at the doors of the games room, right through the wall from the time card puncher, and right below where he’s seeing them here.
CONNECTION TO THE TOWER OF FABLE
And speaking of these layers of building, the Chief Bear’s Paw painting is exactly above where Jack hides to kill Hallorann. So, if this is indeed meant to signify the “Chief” dark force that powers the Overlook, how perfect that it would be something like Jack’s puppet master in this moment of committing his worst atrocity. Similarly, Wendy is standing right above Chief Walking Buffalo when she almost kills Jack with the bat. So while the one Chief is like a puppet master, the other is like the burial ground, getting some revenge.
And in case you’re remembering how Wendy is associated to bears in the Four Directions analysis, I don’t think this means that Jack is muddying those waters. He’s an extension of the hotel in this moment, and the hotel is associated to all the Four Directions animals, really–I simply think dog is its primary animal. I’m reminded of the fact that there’s this issue of Outdoor Life right next to the Redrum door where Wendy slashes Jack’s hand, which features the byline “So near to the Grizzly, I had to pay for it”. So Jack takes Wendy’s bear’s paw, and Dick takes the hotel’s.
Next art reference: Montreal from the Mountain
MAIN PAGE ⎔ SECTION PAGE ⎔ SITE MAP ⎔ GLOSSARY
OTHER MAIN PAGES FOR SHINING ANALYSIS
THE MIRRORFORM ⎔ THE BEATLES ⎔ THE RUM AND THE RED
BACKGROUND ART ⎔ OVERLOOK PHOTOGRAPHS ⎔ GOLDEN SPIRALS
PHI GRIDS ⎔ PATTERNS ⎔ VIOLENCE AND INDIGENA ⎔ ABSURDITIES
THE STORY ROOM ⎔ ANIMAL SYMBOLS ⎔ THE ANNOTATED SHINING
EYE SCREAM 