When members of Alberta’s legislature gaze upon the historic walls that surround them this fall, perhaps they’ll pause between verbal jabs and politicking to admire the painting Sunrise and Sunset.
A commissioned diptych presented to the legislature by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees in 2019, Sunrise and Sunset is the work of famed Dene artist Alex Janvier CM of Cold Lake First Nation.
At age 89, Janvier died July 10 while the legislature was out-of-session.
“Mr. Janvier had been a professional artist for decades and was renowned for his unique abstract style, distinct curved lines and bright colours,” said Speaker Nathan Cooper, as he commemorated the man and his work on the first sitting of the fall Oct. 28.
Janvier “left behind a tremendous legacy” that included “a great number of stunning works,” said the speaker.
Sunrise and Sunset is a multi-coloured semi-circle that depicts a layered sun of yellows emitting curvy rays, shapes and baubles into a pastel sky. Although Janvier was influenced by European modernists, his work also drew heavily from patterns in traditional hide-painting, beadwork and quillwork.
His pieces were part of Expo 67 in Montreal, and a large abstract of his was installed in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que.
Janvier was named to the Order of Canada in 2007 and the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2010.
“Let us remember the tremendous contributions that Alex Janvier made, not just to Alberta, not just to his community, but to our country,” said Cooper.
