Arthur Shilling
Arthur Shilling
1941 - 1986
“Time is so precious. I’m under constant pressure from within. Like a volcano, grumbling and rumbling continually…I don’t close my eyes except when I sleep, and then there are dreams, color again.”
- Arthur Shilling, The Ojibway Dream

Arthur Shilling was born on the Chippewas of Rama First Nation Reserve near Orillia, Ontario into an Ojibway family. His work portrayed the Ojibway people and their inner life of courage, dignity and beauty, in spite of their difficulties.

Shilling received a scholarship from the Indian Affairs Department to study at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, then he chose to self-teach. In his paintings, he depicted the life of his family and his people using an expressionist style with bold strokes of colour. A show at the Wells Gallery in Ottawa brought national recognition for his work, which became sought after.

As a child he suffered four attacks of rheumatic fever, which damaged his heart. While living in Toronto, he still suffered from heart problems, and in 1979 he decided to return to the peace of nature in the place of his birth in the Rama First Nation. In the mid-1970s, he went to Toronto for heart surgery, which was successful. He returned home, and after recuperating, he constructed a contemporary tepee studio and a home that he designed himself. His art at this time reflected the spiritual rebirth he found on the Rama Reserve; his works were passionate, using muscular brushwork and bright, radiant colour. After over-extending himself teaching children in the Peace River district of Northern Alberta, and supervising construction on his structures on the Rama Reserve, he relapsed and died at the age of 44.

The artist’s life was documented in the 1978 NFB film The Beauty of my People: The Life and Work of Arthur Shilling (1974). Shilling produced a book – The Ojibway Dream, a collection of 21 paintings that included poetic reflections on his inner life and his art. His works are in the collections of the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, the National Museum of Man, McMichael Canadian Art Collection and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.
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Les résultats record de la Maison Heffel
Artist's Family by Arthur Shilling vendu pour $23,600
Arthur Shilling
Artist's Family
36 x 48 in, 91.4 x 121.9 cm
huile sur toile
Estimation : 7 000 $ - 9 000 $ CDN
Vendu pour : 23 600 $ CDN (Prime d’achat incluse)
February 2016 - 2nd session, jeudi, 25 février 2016
Woman with Corn (03742/A85-100) by Arthur Shilling vendu pour $13,750
Arthur Shilling
Woman with Corn (03742/A85-100)
48 x 36 in, 121.9 x 91.4 cm
huile sur toile
Estimation : 7 000 $ - 9 000 $ CDN
Vendu pour : 13 750 $ CDN (Prime d’achat incluse)
Highlights from DuPont Canada, mercredi, 25 juillet 2018
Chief Dan George by Arthur Shilling vendu pour $11,250
Arthur Shilling
Chief Dan George
24 1/4 x 19 3/4 in, 61.6 x 50.2 cm
huile sur panneau
Estimation : 3 000 $ - 5 000 $ CDN
Vendu pour : 11 250 $ CDN (Prime d’achat incluse)
First Nations & Inuit Art, jeudi, 27 août 2020
Two Girls by Arthur Shilling vendu pour $11,250
Arthur Shilling
Two Girls
36 x 36 in, 91.4 x 91.4 cm
huile sur panneau
Estimation : 7 000 $ - 9 000 $ CDN
Vendu pour : 11 250 $ CDN (Prime d’achat incluse)
August 2017 - 4th Session, jeudi, 31 août 2017
Ingred by Arthur Shilling vendu pour $10,625
Arthur Shilling
Ingred
36 x 24 in, 91.4 x 61 cm
huile sur panneau
Estimation : 2 500 $ - 3 500 $ CDN
Vendu pour : 10 625 $ CDN (Prime d’achat incluse)
Fine Canadian Art, jeudi, 30 novembre 2017
Dan George by Arthur Shilling vendu pour $8,913
Arthur Shilling
Dan George
23 x 21 3/4 in, 58.4 x 55.2 cm
huile sur toile
Estimation : 4 000 $ - 5 000 $ CDN
Vendu pour : 8 913 $ CDN (Prime d’achat incluse)
Fine Canadian Art Spring 2005, mercredi, 25 mai 2005
Self Portrait by Arthur Shilling vendu pour $8,750
Arthur Shilling
Self Portrait
25 x 18 3/4 in, 63.5 x 47.6 cm
huile sur panneau
Estimation : 3 000 $ - 5 000 $ CDN
Vendu pour : 8 750 $ CDN (Prime d’achat incluse)
Post-War & Contemporary Art, jeudi, 30 mars 2023
Self Portrait by Arthur Shilling vendu pour $8,750
Arthur Shilling
Self Portrait
29 x 22 1/2 in, 73.7 x 57.2 cm
huile sur panneau
Estimation : 4 000 $ - 6 000 $ CDN
Vendu pour : 8 750 $ CDN (Prime d’achat incluse)
First Nations Art, jeudi, 29 février 2024
Portrait of a Young Person by Arthur Shilling vendu pour $8,625
Arthur Shilling
Portrait of a Young Person
38 x 33 in, 96.5 x 83.8 cm
huile sur panneau
Estimation : 5 000 $ - 7 000 $ CDN
Vendu pour : 8 625 $ CDN (Prime d’achat incluse)
November 2004, samedi, 27 novembre 2004
Millie at the Stream by Arthur Shilling vendu pour $8,190
Arthur Shilling
Millie at the Stream
29 x 35 in, 73.7 x 88.9 cm
huile sur panneau
Estimation : 6 000 $ - 8 000 $ CDN
Vendu pour : 8 190 $ CDN (Prime d’achat incluse)
September 2012 - 1st Session, jeudi, 27 septembre 2012