Label Text:
The graphic art of Baffin Island is a fascinating confluence of three disparate cultures: Inuit, Japanese and Anglo. Niviaksiak’s Sled and Seal Cached on Snow Blocks epitomizes this convergence in its technique, imagery and materials. The iconography is purely Inuit, revealing narrative aspects of traditional daily life in the form of hunting and transport. The stencil method is of Western origins, introduced by government official James Houston to the Inuit community of Baffin Island in the late 1950s; though the use of sealskins and polar bear hair stippling brushes shows an ingenuity particular to the Canadian Arctic. Lastly, the Japanese-style chop marks, again altered with an Inuit quality, add a third, surprising dimension to the print. Born of distinct traditions, printmaking of the Canadian far north is a medium all its own. Emma Casey, Smith College class of 2015; ARH 292: Collecting the Past: Art and Artifacts of the Ancient Americas.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1961.46 |
