Art, at its best, is universal: it shows us things that we can all appreciate. It can be as simple as a pretty picture, or it can offer a complex statement on a difficult subject.
And at its best it is also intensely, singularly personal. Everyone sees a work differently, everyone comes away from it with their own unique experience.
Once the paint is dry, the piece belongs as much to the viewer as it does to the artist. The artist begins the conversation, the rest of us are left to carry it on.
Alex Janvier’s work is seen, appreciated, interpreted, enjoyed, and probably argued about well beyond Canada’s borders.
But Canada especially loves him. He is celebrated in our most prestigious art institutions and in major public installations. He and the other members of the “Indian Group of Seven” brought new awareness not only to Indigenous art, but to the cultures, the history, and most significantly, the land that inspires it.
Alberta is proud to claim Alex as our own. He was born here, he endured the Residential School experience at Blue Quills near St. Paul. He received his advanced art training in Alberta, and made his reputation here.
And of course he is Cold Lake’s most beloved public figure, if that’s the right word. We’re proud of him. We all share the sadness at the news of his passing. We also share in celebrating his life and his art, and the reputation it had won for him.
Alex’s artistic vision is rooted in Cold Lake: in the land and its people; in the forests, the fish, the birds, the animals, the plants and flowers; in its stories and in its history.
Although his style is bright and energetic with vibrant colours, and lines and shapes that lead your eye in every direction, he doesn’t shy from telling his story or our history. His work is unquestionably beautiful, but it is also profound.
If Alex’s life can be compared to an artwork, then his family, friends, and his Cold Lake First Nations community understand and appreciate it better than anyone else.
That community came together for its annual Treaty Days celebration just days after Alex died. People there were clearly saddened by the news of his passing, but there were many warm smiles as people remembered Alex Janvier as a person, and there was a quiet pride in all that he accomplished as an artist.
As Canadians, as Albertans, as Cold Lakers, we are all proud to say Alex was “from here.” We offer our deep condolences to his family, his friends, and his community—those who knew him and loved him best.