Update on Coronavirus in the North
We hope that you and your loved ones are well and safe, and that you are being vaccinated.
The coronavirus outbreak in Nunavut has been controlled, but not eradicated. Nunavut reports that there are 8 active cases, all in Arviat.
For an interactive graphic story on how the Northwest Territory locked coronavirus out, click here. Its aggressive early response was supported wholeheartedly by the population, with deep cultural memory of past catastrophic epidemics of disease introduced by contact with outsiders.
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Osuitok Ipeelee and Cape Dorset Stone |
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Osuitok Ipeelee (1923-2005) was one of the most talented, versatile, and prolific first generation master carvers of Cape Dorset. Osuitok lived a traditional life on the land until the mid-1950s, when he moved with his young family to Cape Dorset. He carved in a variety of styles, ranging from hyper-realistic to geometric to abstract. His subjects ranged from people to animals -- particularly caribou and owls -- to transformations, like the rather unexpected walrus-bird pictured above. James Houston reported that a conversation with Osuitok -- in which Osuitok commented on how boring it must be for the person who had to paint the same picture on every pack of cigarettes -- led Houston to introduce printmaking to the Inuit. Osuitok played a major role both in the Cape Dorset print shop and as a master carver, assisting other artists to select good stone.
We picture here three pieces by Osuitok, which also illustrate the three types of stone available to carvers in Cape Dorset. Osuitok's ascendance as a carver of stone was undoubtedly helped by the availability of beautiful serpentine and serpentinite, the green stone widely associated with Cape Dorset. This was the stone that Cape Dorset carvers favored overwhelmingly. As Padlaya Qiatsuk said in Northern Rock (Susan Gustavison, McMichael Canadian Art Collection 1999), "Black stone, light green stone, or dark green stone. Those are the ones I really like to work with. The white marble? It's harder than the other stones but I do work with it if there's nothing else left." The walrus-bird transformation above embodies the reasons that carvers preferred it. The color is beautiful, with some variations and inclusions, and it has been polished to a high gloss. It is soft enough to take the details of the face and feathers, and to allow Osuitok to carve the marvelous thin, rippling wings, which are a real tour de force.
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The white marble came from a quarry at Andrew Gordon Bay. For Osuitok, it was clearly his second choice by a long shot, but, as he said in Northern Rock, "We used that marble in the winter because those stones were the only ones available in the hamlet." As Lukta Qiatsuk said in the same book, "The white stone is harder than the green stone. It is more brittle and breaks more easily. Sculptures in the white stone turn out to be simpler, to have less detail than those in the green stone. But if there are no fractures or fault lines, the figure could have a nice form." This is a fair description of Osuitok's marble hunter pictured above. Indeed, at first glance you would not think that the same hand produced the green transformation and the white hunter. Osuitok did work to give the horns springing from the hunter's forehead a delicate spiral texture, and to give the moustache texture, but the rest of the carving is smooth.
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The third stone available to Cape Dorset carvers was a rough grey stone, which was the predominant local stone -- the Precambrian igneous rock of the Canadian shield. Unlike the green stone, it would not take a polish. It is harder than the green stone, and details are accordingly sparer. If you compare the faces of the walrus-bird and the muskox, the walrus-bird has deeply cut nostrils, eyes and mouth, and there are wrinkles on its muzzle. The muskox has very simple, shallow incisings to indicate the eyes, nostrils and mouth. The greatest detail appears on the muskox's neck fur, which is blowing in the wind. I think (but have no way of proving) that this muskox may have been a study for a larger carving in green stone (which happens to be in my personal collection) of a hunter astride a muskox, with the muskox's head turned to the side, creating a dramatic curve in the fur on the muskox's neck. |
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Participate in the virtual opening of Qaumajuq on March 25-26
The Winnipeg Art Gallery is opening the long-awaited Qaumajuq, a building devoted entirely to Inuit art. There will be a virtual opening on the evenings of March 25 and 26. Click here for more information.
The WAG website explains Qaumajug this way:
Inuit artists have always spoken through art, and with over 14,000 Inuit artworks held in trust at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, there are many stories to tell.
Sharing these stories with the world is at the core of Qaumajuq (formerly the Inuit art centre), a home for Inuit art in Winnipeg that bridges Canada’s North and South. Qaumajuq is a new building and a new way of presenting Inuit art, and has taken shape with the guidance of the WAG Indigenous Advisory Circle.
Qaumajuq is the first of its kind in the world – a unique sharing space where Inuit voices are front and centre in sharing their creativity. Artists, Inuit, various partners and community leaders have collaborated to envision and create a vibrant gathering place where all are welcome and where everyone’s stories are told and heard in a true spirit of reconciliation. This is an engaging, accessible space to experience art and artists in new ways, where art and technology offer direct connections to the land, people, and culture of the North.
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About
Alaska on Madison
In keeping with our self-description as a virtual gallery run by collectors for collectors, we offer a limited number of pieces. Every piece is one that we would be happy to have in our personal collection, and the description of each piece explains why.
We are happy to assist you with inquiries, with searches for particular pieces or artists, with organizing your collections and with buying or selling at auction. Our Inuit artist search tool is available on our website, and we would be delighted to help you use it. If you prefer to puzzle things out for yourself, Deciphering Inuktitut Signatures will help you to identify artists.
We are always pleased to answer questions or just chat. You can contact us by email or by phone at (908) 487-5757.
Our very best wishes to you all.
Ann and Michael Lesk
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Alaska on Madison | (908) 487-5757 | alaskaonmadison@gmail.com | www,alaskaonmadison.com |
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