by Copper Thunderbird (aka Norval Morrisseau)
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ART OF ULLMAN’S OFFICE
CRAM’S SUPERIOR MAP ⎔ FLOCK OF LOONS ⎔ GREAT EARTH MOTHER ⎔ MYSTERIES ⎔ THEATRUM ORBIS TERRARUM ⎔ TRAPPER’S CAMP
APPEARANCE
Left of Ullman’s office entrance as Jack arrives for the interview. Seen again when Jack charts a similar path to kill the radio (curiously avoided when Wendy goes between radio rooms).
IDENTITY
Thunderbird went through the residential school system — though I doubt most indigenous Canadian artists were spared that nightmare. Later, he was greatly honoured by the Ojibway and received honourary degrees. Called the “Picasso of the North”. I haven’t found any Picassos in the film, but maybe that would ruin the effect.
In 88 seconds, there’s another Thunderbird painting (Flock of Loons) on the opposite side of the room, making him the first artist to appear (unobstructed) in the film twice.
He was also a member (arguably the best known) of the Indian Group of Seven, which was only formally together for two years, but that’s a pretty strong connection to the outer lobby art, much of which is by the Group of Seven. One of my thoughts about the Group of Seven is that they’re meant to connect to the seven dwarves of Snow White fame (which is referenced in Danny’s bedroom, is conjunction with the escape key), so would a secondary Group of Seven suggest a flip side to the Grimm fairy tale aspect of the film? If so, I haven’t discovered an indigenous myth in the film yet that deals with a gang of seven anythings, though I suspect Kubrick was also invoking The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats, so perhaps this is simply meant to suggest that, and how it echoes Snow White.
Thunderbird shifted through a few different spiritualities in life, and was a self-taught artist with a personal aesthetic and visual language, which involved a lot of shockingly erotic images. Does that sound like anyone we know?
SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE
This might be incidental, but the name Morrisseau has that “Morris” in it, which sounds like “Maurice”, which is the name of the black saint being alluded to in this painting. Hallorann is murdered within sight of that other painting (and just to the right of this one), so it’s interesting to note that Jack passes a “Morrisseau” on his way to interview, on his way to kill the radio, and on his way to try to kill Danny. Watson reveals Flock of Loons just before Ullman announces that Jack’s got the job. Wendy will pass that painting on her way to discover the dead snowcat.
In fact, though The Great Earth Mother first appears at 3:31, Jack’s head snaps to look into Ullman’s at 3:27 (a 237 jumble), at which point this painting would be visible to him. And the last frame of its appearances in the film is 1:34:28 (238 being a number associated with Hallorann’s murder and 14 being a number associated with room 237). Maybe a coincidence, but still cool.
I also wonder if this “Great Earth Mother” deity is meant to contrast the Overlook’s/Ullman’s connection to Satan. Seems likely.
Another, extremely subtle, possibly coincidental factor at play here is how two artists in the film were featured on Bruce Cockburn’s album covers:
- Alex Colville’s Horse and Train appeared on Night Visions (1973)
- Dancing Inside the Dragon’s Jaws (1979) features Thunderbird’s work.
TOWER OF FABLE CONNECTION
In my Tower of Fable analysis, I noted how objects that are considered “axis mundi” (a thing, usually spiritual in nature, that symbolically connects heaven and earth – like a pyramid or Jacob’s ladder or the smoke from a calumet pipe) all appear in the section of the Overlook hotel I call D4. In the lobby, D4 describes Susie’s office, which does have caduceus-style spears standing to either side of its entrance (caduceuses being another axis mundi example), but considering this painting has “earth” in the title, and considering the “Maurice” name, and how that speaks to the one character who is sent to heaven, so to speak, I think Thunderbird’s appearance here might not be so disconnected from this phenomenon.
Next art reference: German Political Cartoons
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 