House of Blackfish Item Number: Nb7.304 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Stylized image of a house front. Gabled roof and outside supports in red-orange bands. House front design is bilaterally symmetrical. Three wedge shaped vertical elements hang under the eaves on each side of the roof. In the house, there is a frontal humanoid figure at the top centre on top of a black rectangle with circles off centre. To either side, there are large profile whales curling and facing inward with the ovoid head to the centre and the black outlined split u to the outside. Red outlined horizontal band above the house tapers to the right with two notches, one at the centre and one to the left. Random series of red outlined circles between the band and the roof on the left side. Pencil inscription across the bottom edge '42/80 29/3/77 HOUSE OF BLACKFISH Roy Henry Vickers TSIMSHIAN TRIBE KITKATLA B.C.'. The print is on a horizontally rectangular, brown paper stock.

History Of Use

Northwest Coast serigraphs are a contemporary art form, deriving from early 20th century drawings of traditional crest and decorative designs, commissioned by anthropologists and undertaken by artists such as Charles Edenshaw. Residential schools reinforced the medium, while discouraging the use of traditional themes. An important series of traditional designs in coloured pencil and watercolour were done by Mungo Martin for UBC in 1949-50. The 1960's saw the rapid growth of prints, first in unlimited poster editions, and later with the establishment of the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art at 'Ksan (1967), and of the Northwest Coast Indian Artists Guild (1977), limited edition art runs became the standard. Northwest Coast silkscreen prints are part of the mainstream art market, as well as, functioning within the native context as potlatch gifts, and commemorative prints. Although, there are distinctive regional styles, individual artists may work in several styles, or apply unique themes and variations to specific works.

Cultural Context

contemporary art

Item History

What

Name
House of Blackfish
Identification Number
Nb7.304
Type of Item
print
Manufacturing Technique
silkscreened
Overall
height 33.0 cm, width 50.8 cm, depth 0.1 cm

Who

Culture
Tsimshian
Creator
Roy Henry Vickers (Maker)
Previous Owner
Norman Sandomirsky and Tobie Sandomirsky
Received from
Norman Sandomirsky (Donor) and Tobie Sandomirsky (Donor)

Where

Holding Institution
MOA: University of British Columbia
Made in
British Columbia, Canada

When

Creation Date
on March 29, 1977
Ownership Date
before June 27, 1984
Acquisition Date
on June 27, 1984

Other

Item Classes
works on paper
Condition
fair
Current Location
Case 31
Accession Number
0979/0026