Worldview of the Artist

The way people and their landscapes are depicted in art can depend on the worldview of the artist and the society to which he or she belongs.
 

These paintings of Canadian First Nations people are from very different eras. One is by an early 20th century white artist, the other by a modern Coast Salish artist. Which image depicts a place where you would prefer to live? Why? Why did the artists choose to depict this subject in different ways?

Throughout Canada, agreements are being negotiated with Native peoples to restore lost rights and territory. However, there remains a legacy of anger from centuries of mistreatment and its human cost. Here, Coast Salish artist Lawrence Paul depicts a devastated Native society whose isolation and imminent destruction are mirrored by the sterile, ruined landscape that Native people—and all humanity—are forced to inhabit. The stream is barren, the mountains are denuded, and they and nature itself (parched mask, right) are shown as dying, dinosaur-like creatures. Discarded ceremonial masks hang from the remaining trees, and two human figures - mid foreground - also in masks, are cut off from Nature, broken and alone. (source: Canadian Museum of Civilization)