Viewing 109 of 626 pictures within search

Previous   Next

Clan Of The Raven By Robert Bateman

Clan of the Raven by Robert Bateman

"Along the western coast of British Columbia are lands native to the Haida First Nation and their clans, one of which is the clan of the raven. The raven has a privileged position in many native cultures as a trickster - he is the hero of disorder, transformation and change. In legend, it is the raven who found mankind in a clam shell, cracked it open and released us into the world."

"Clan of the Raven" depicts a totem in the raven clan village of Ninstints, a coastal village or an island at the southern tip of the Queen Charlotte Islands. This is the best place where the last of these ancestral totems still stand, where the tall, dark trees are now encroaching on to what used to be the open and airy coastal villages of the Haida. These were the sites of a great nation. Ninstints is one of the most sacred and spiritual places I've ever visited. I had an indescribable feeling being among these silent standing totems. The totem in my painting is a burial totem. Chiefs and other notable clan members were buried, in the crouch position, in niches at the tops of these totems; the totems were then carved and decorated by Haida artisans. Made of cedar, totems last a long time, but, eventually, nature takes it all back, and the bones of great chieftains and mighty totems fall and decompose together. Out of the darkness of the forest flies the dark raven, painted dark against dark. Is it the raven or the spirit of the raven?"

"I have long had a passionate appreciation for the artistic achievements of indigenous people, and none more so than the magnificent totem poles carved by the native inhabitants of the northwest Pacific coast. These exquisite abstract sculptures in wood represent for me the pinnacle of indigenous art. They are as beautiful and powerful as anything created by Picasso or Matisse. Unfortunately, the few old poles that remain in their natural settings are decaying and returning to the forest." ~ Robert Bateman

Clan of the Raven by Robert Bateman is available for sale as a signed and numbered limited edition print with a 11-3/4 x 23-1/2 image size priced at $425 unframed. LAST ONE!

Order yours today. All artwork is professionally boxed and insured and guaranteed to arrive in mint condition.

Previous Image   Next Image

First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page