Inuit Art Flashcards
1
Q
James Houston
A
- IN 1948, James Houston who would become a prominent artist, writer and Inuit art specialist travelled to a small Inuit community in Northern Quebec to paint Arctic landscapes
- he quickly realized that the Inuit handicrafts that he saw at Port Harrison (now Inukjuak) could be turned into goods that could be marketed in the south
- he bought many of these art works and exhibited them in Montreal in 1949
2
Q
Inuit Art
A
- at this time, the Inuit way of life was changing
- the Canadian government was interested in encouraging a money economy in the North
- Houston persuade the Department of Indian Affairs to finance the set up of cooperative art-making projects in Inuit communities in the north
- the Inuit had been trading with the southerners for a long time – especially in furs and meats – and craft items such as small ivory pieces
3
Q
Inuit art continued
A
- it was not until the 1950s when the Inuit switched from being nomadic to settled communities that the production of Inuit sculptures and drawings as commodities began in earnest
- at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 – the logo was the INUKSHUK – a human figure made out of stones
- this was traditionally used in the barren lands of the Arctic to frighten caribou into an ambush and to mark the landscape for travelers
- the inukshuk has entered the popular imagination in Canada and is now created wherever and whenever a pile of stones is available
4
Q
A
INUKSHUK SCULPTURE BY DAVID RUBEN PIQTOUKUN, LOBBY OF THE CANADIAN EMBASSY, WASHINGTON, D.C.
5
Q
A
JESSIE OONARK, ULU-WOMAN WITH BIRDS, 1979,
6
Q
Inuit art continued
A
- KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, JESSE OONARK, KAROO ASHEVAK AND KIUGAK ASHOONA receive international praise for their distinctive artistic visions of the North
- they took an aesthetic form that was almost purely personal and cast it into the private sphere
- in doing so they changed our view of an art that was once considered primitive
7
Q
A
KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, THE ARRIVAL OF THE SUN, 1962,
8
Q
Inuit Art 20th century
A
- in the 20th century – the Inuit experienced Modernity through the radical change from living on the land to living in communities
- modernity suggests a process of social and cultural change and a discontinuity with the past
- by the 1950s as a result of the promotion of Inuit art in the south by Houston, carvings began to be promoted as sculptural art in the south
9
Q
Inuit art
A
- in 1952 – the National Gallery of Canada put on an exhibition of Inuit Sculpture
- modernist programs in the North started in the early 1950s and had far-reaching consequences for Inuit
- in some instances – rapid relocation by the Federal government
- -Inuit sculpture was promoted by the federal government as distinctly Canadian and Expo67 and at international exhibitions
10
Q
ANNIE POOTOOGOOK (b.1969)
A
- born in Cape Dorset
- started drawing in 1997 recording events of her daily life
- shopping, hanging up a coat and watching television – scenes of spousal abuse
- she was influenced by T.V., comics, and video games
- her grandmother, her mother were prolific graphic artists, her father was a sculptor
- modernist architecture and planning – a colonial impact – standardized housing appears her works
11
Q
A
ANNIE POOTOOGOOK (B.1969), MAN ON THE RADIO, 2006, COLOURED PENCIL AND BLACK FELT PEN ON WOVE PAPER
12
Q
PUDLO PUDIAT (b. 1916)
A
- Born in South Baffin Island
- moved to Cape Dorset in the 1950s
- his prints first appeared in 1961 and continued until his death in 1993
- his imagery includes things that caught his attention – buildings, cars, technology
13
Q
A
PUDLO PUDIAT DRAWING FOR PRINT “MODERN SETTLEMENT – TRADITIONAL CAMP”, 1978-7
14
Q
Inuit Themes
A
- traditional themes in Inuit art recall a more than human world – where spirit forces abound
- human themes - mother children family and solitary figures
- shaministic and spirit themes
- Puvirnituq themes include hunting and camp imagery, animal portriats and mythological subjects.
- legends and human-animal transformation
15
Q
Major media
A
- Stone
- Ivory, the primary carving medium for centuries remained a valuable commodity but as demand for carvings increased artists were encouraged to experiment with more plentiful and less expensive local stones.
- 1955 - stone sculpture had overtaken ivory carving as the dominant art form with ivory as secondary accent material.
- whale bone became popular medium in certain locations (Karoo Ashevak)
16
Q
KAROO ASHEVAK
A
- explores the private world of dreams
- but Inuit shamanism is prominent in his mixed media sculptures
- has a playful experimental approach – carvings of spirits, shamans, Arctic wildlife and humans
17
Q
A
KAROO ASHEVAK (FANTASY) FIGURE WITH BIRDS, 1972, WHALEBONE,
18
Q
NICK SIKKUARK (B.1943)
A
–born near Garry Lake in the central Arctic
- orphaned when he was nine – adopted and educated by Roman Catholic missionaries
- a member of a small Netsilik community of Kugaaruk (formerly Pelly Bay)
- came to prominence as a sculptor – returned to drawings in 2003 – SPIRIT WOLF
- often presents nocturnal landscapes – lives in a region where darkness prevails for many months of the year
19
Q
A
NICK SIKKUARK (1943-2013), SHAMAN, C. 1989
20
Q
A
NICK SIKKUARK, UNTITLED (SPIRIT WOLF AND SHAMANS), 2005,
21
Q
JOHNNY INUKPUK and JOHN TIKTAK
A
- these two artists became famous in the 1960s
- Inukpuk from Port Harrison (Inukjuak) and Tiktak from Rankin Inlet
- their works were held in major collections both private and public and illustrated in books
- about this time, Inuit artists were called “sculptors” whereas previously they had been referred to as “carvers”
22
Q
A
JOHN TIKTAK, MOTHER AND CHILD, C. 1962
- Titkat’s work has a rugged simplicity of form and a somber mood
- his faces and figures ranged from the elegant to the expressive
23
Q
A
JOHNNY INUKPUK,
MOTHER WITH CHILD PLAYING STRING GAMES, C.1955,
24
Q
DAVID RUBEN PIQTOUKUN (b. 1950
A
- between the age of 5 and 17, he was removed from his family and sent away to residential school
- in 1872 he was introduced to sculpture by his brother Abraham
- most of his early work is in jade
- then started researching the traditional stories and legends told by his parents and other elders in the Western Arctic
25
Q
Ruben 2
A
- since 1951 has lied in and around Toronto
- sculpture and prints – mixed media
- his sculptures are now mostly carved in Brazilian soapstone with inlay fashioned from Arizona pipestone
- has a very impressive exhibition history
26
Q
A
DAVID RUBEN PIQTOUKUN, TALKING FISH, 2000
27
Q
A
DAVID RUBEN PIQTOUKUN (B.1950),
PASSAGE OF TIME, MIXED MEDIA,
- portrays a shaman in the form of a salmon moving through a hole in a hand
- the hand is of sheet metal – not a traditional material such as ivory, antler or soapstone
28
Q
ABRAHAM APAKARK ANGHIK (RUBEN) 1951
A
- interest in the myths and stories of ancient Northern cultures
- born NWT
- until he was eight he lived with his family on the land – life was hard
- in 1955 – he and his brothers were sent away to residential school
- the experience haunted him throughout his life
29
Q
Abraham 2
A
- when he left residential school he tried to reconnect with his past
- pursued a career as an artist working in sculpture, print, drawings
- 1986 – moved to Salt Spring Island – B.C.
- continued his interest in the stories of his ancestors
- connections with the Nordic cultures –his mother’s aunt became the Inuit wife of a Norse Arctic explorer
- show parallels with Inuit stories of migration
30
Q
A
THOR 900 A.D., 2012
- sold for 90 000
- Thor was the principal god of the Viking Norse colonists in Iceland
- Norse design motifs enhance the sculpture
31
Q
MANASIE AKPALIAPIK (B.1955)
A
- born in Nunavut on north Baffin Island
- relocated to Montreal, then settled in Toronto
- now based in Ottawa and Montreal
- known for his sculptures that use bone, ivory and stone
32
Q
Manasie 2
A
- he is deeply connected to the culture and traditions of the Arctic
- his sculpture offer depictions of social ills that have impacted northern communities
- reflect his belief that humans must live in balance with and respect all living things
33
Q
A
MANASIE AKPALIAPIK (B.1955), LAMENT FOR THE ARCTIC OCEAN,
34
Q
VICTORIA MAMNGUQSUALUK 1930
A
- her work conveys a detailed knowledge of Inuit mythology
- raised by her grandparents – moved with her family to Baker Lake in 1963
- did some carving and sewed wall hangings
- turned to drawing in the 1970s
- is best known for her extensive exploration of the Qiviuq legend
- tends to include several episodes of the legend in a single work and sometimes includes text
35
Q
A
VICTORIA MAMNGUQSUALUK, QIVIUQ’S BIRD WIFE, 1993
Quiviuq (also spelled KIviuq) is an legendary Inuit hero
36
Q
ANDREW QAPPIK (B.1964),
A
- drawing from a young age
- comic books were an early source of inspiration
- his works show traditional stories and activities such as ice fishing
–has also illustrated several elementary school textbooks, drawn posters for the Canadian coastguard
-he uses three-point perspective, and shading to give three dimensionality to his works
37
Q
A
ANDREW QAPPIK FAVOURITE PLACE TO BE, 2003
38
Q
Sculpture
A
- Carvings quickly moved out of the crafts category by 1952 were being promotedas art in magazines and exhibitions.
- The National Gallery of Canada mounted a presentation of Inuit sculpture in 1952.
- 1960s sculptures displayed an increasing variety of subjects.
- 1970s Marie Routeledge noted sculptors were adopting a consciouly aesthetic approach to composition.
- Karoo Ashevak was much celebrated for works such as Fantasy as was Pudlo Pudlat.
39
Q
Printmaking
A
- James Houston set up a printmaking program in Cape Dorset in 1957.
- flourished in 1960s.
- sculptors were taught bas relief carving techniques for use in stonecut printmaking.
- Inuit printmaking is a collaborative process
40
Q
Printmaking 2
A
- the artist sells drawing to the local print shop which maintains an image bank and chooses works for annual collections that are marketed through a network of commercial galleries.
- the printmaker, consults the artists about changes to the image.
- printmakers chops (signature stamps) were shown on prints from the beginning but it was the artists who created the original drawings who were credited.
- e.g. Jessie Oonark , Abraham Ruben
41
Q
Development of art
A
- development centred on carving but also included ceramics, printmaking and sewing projects.
- 1960 witnessed the rise of individual artists.
- 1980 - the rise of independent artists in the south david and manasie)
- 1985 Inuit Art Foundation supports the professional development of artists and craftspeople through grants and workshops.
- 1990s the rise of jewellery making
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