Seabeasts Item Number: Na779 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Print depicting three sea creatures and two seals in profile: the sea creature on the lower right is dark green and yellow-green, the other two have dark green outlines, the smaller seal is black and dark grey, and the larger seal has five dark grey spots along its back. Below the image is written, "Seabeasts stonecut 35/50 Dorset 1974 Pitseolak." The names of the artist and printmaker are printed in Inuit syllabics with the Cape Dorset stylized red igloo and the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council's blind embossed seal at the lower right.

History Of Use

Contemporary Inuit prints were first produced at Cape Dorset in 1957. Although precursors to printmaking can be seen in women's skin applique work and in men's incising of ivory, stone and bone, the impetus for printmaking was as a commercial venture. This venture was established jointly by Inuit artists and John Houston, the civil administrator for Cape Dorset. Other Inuit communities quickly followed the commercial success of Cape Dorset's West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative. Printmaking developed as a communal activity following a Japanese, rather than a Western, model of serigraph production. Each year the cooperatives produce a series of limited edition prints which are sold in the retail art market. In 1965, the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council was established from the Canadian Eskimo Art Committee to ensure high standards were maintained. Printmaking, along with stone carving, provide cash income for communities which have undergone rapid and significant change, during the late 20th century, from traditional hunting based societies to settled communities dependent on consumer goods. The prevalent images depicted in Inuit art are of traditional life, arctic animals and mythology. Recently, contemporary subjects have been depicted by a minority of artists.

Cultural Context

contemporary art

Item History

What

Name
Seabeasts
Identification Number
Na779
Type of Item
print
Manufacturing Technique
stonecut, stencilled and printed
Overall
height 63.0 cm, width 86.0 cm
Image
height 43.5 cm, width 42.0 cm

Who

Culture
Inuit
Creator
Pitseolak Ashoona (Maker) and Lukta Qiatsuk (Technician)
Previous Owner
Guenter Adolphs
Received from
Guenter Adolphs (Donor)

Where

Holding Institution
MOA: University of British Columbia
Made in
Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada and Kinngait, Nunavut, Canada

When

Creation Date
during 1974
Collection Date
before 1983
Ownership Date
before December 15, 1983
Acquisition Date
on December 15, 1983

Other

Item Classes
works on paper
Condition
excellent
Accession Number
0914/0049