Wild Owl Item Number: Na744 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Frontal facing stylized with triple sets of leaf-like wings; black pupils and nose; head and wings speckled and lined. Beginning at side on left below bordered crease inscriptions read: number "49"; title; "32/50"; Inuit syllabics; "Kenojuak 1967"; Canadian Eskimo Arts Council's blind embossed stamp at corner on lower right above number 44. Overall colours are dark red and black on white.

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
Wild Owl
Identification Number
Na744
Type of Item
print
Image
height 16.0 cm, width 20.0 cm
Overall
height 9.6 cm, width 13.0 cm

Who

Culture
Inuit
Creator
Kenojuak Ashevak (Maker)
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 1967
Collection Date
before 1983
Ownership Date
before December 15, 1983
Acquisition Date
on December 15, 1983

Other

Item Classes
works on paper
Condition
good
Accession Number
0914/0014