Childhood Imaginations: of Kings and Queens and Stuff Like That

Description

‘Childhood Imaginations: of Kings and Queens and Stuff Like That‘ by Daphne Odjig 1997 – First Nations Woodland Art presented by DaVic Gallery of Native Canadian Arts.

Due to the significant historical value and specialized white-glove shipping requirements for this original Odjig work, we process all acquisitions via personalized consultation to ensure the highest standard of delivery and care.

Please contact us to arrange your purchase transaction of this product:  info@nativecanadianarts.com   or call us at 604-679-8392

Condition:       There is some visible wear and tear on the frame that is not distracting.

Provenance:   This painting comes with strong provenance from Gallery Gevik, and from a private collector in Toronto, Ontario.

Description by Artist:     No description by the artist was found.

Notes from DaVic Gallery:   Completed in 1997, this masterwork is a vibrant window into the matured, “Integrated” world of Daphne Odjig. Moving beyond the political intensity of her earlier career, this canvas showcases the lyrical mastery and bold, experimental palette of her most celebrated period.

The Architecture of the Soul – In this composition, Odjig constructs a “Sanctuary of Safety” through a series of deliberate architectural anchors. Between the Queen and the Child, a set of stairs suggests the internal steps of growth and transcendence—a motif echoed in her 1989 piece ‘Birth of Antiquity‘, where structural halls and stairs represented the weight of history. Here, the structures have returned to the domestic: fences and vibrant houses act as the boundaries of a sacred childhood space, demarcating where the family’s physical world ends and their spiritual imagination begins. These are not merely buildings; they are Teaching Lodges where identity is formed.

Sacred Alignment: The Circle of Care  – The composition is anchored by a Sacred Alignment of five main elements: the King, the Queen, the Child, the Spirit, and the One-Eye Sentinel. Together, they form a Circle of Care—a traditional concept where the community and ancestors provide a protective perimeter around the next generation. The Child sits at the “Fifth Direction”—the spiritual center—where growth is nurtured by both the physical and ethereal planes:

• The Upper Plane (Authority): The King and the One-Eye figure sit on a shared horizontal plane. While the King stands as a pale, ethereal sentinel, the One-Eye face peeks from within a home—a “sentient house” representing the watchful ancestors who protect the structure of the family.
• The Lower Plane (Nurture): The Queen and the Green Spirit share the lower plane, providing the physical and ancestral nourishment necessary for the Child’s imaginative journey.

The Rhythmic Line – Odjig “sculpts” this royal family using her signature rhythmic line—a technique she traced back to the foundational lessons of her grandfather, a traditional stone carver. Just as a carver defines form through continuous strokes, Odjig utilizes bold, interlocking outlines to fuse the figures with their environment. The vibrant red roof serves as the composition’s heartbeat, a geometric anchor symbolizing the home as the foundation for both family and cultural identity.

To experience the vibrant energy and protective warmth of this masterwork in a residential setting, please view the final gallery image showing ‘Childhood Imaginations’ in situ. In this domestic context, the brilliance of the red-roofed home and the watchful presence of the ancestral figures truly come to life, demonstrating how Odjig’s vision of family safety creates a powerful, ‘Integrated’ centerpiece for the modern collector.