Sculpture

Contemporary Inuit sculpture produced for the art market began in the 1950's in response to a very successful sale, by the Canadian Handicraft Guild in Montreal in 1949, of pieces collected by James A. Houston on the east coast of Hudson Bay. The Inuit co-operatives developed by 1959 and a central marketing agency was established in 1965. Carving continues to be a major source of income in the Eastern Canadian Arctic, an area which has undergone major social and economic changes, especially since World War II. There has been a steady growth in permanent settlements during the last half of this century which has made large scale carving in stone feasible. Traditionally, carving materials were mainly bone, antler, and ivory, because of their light weight, strength, and durability. Heavier and more fragile stone was used primarily for lamps and cooking vessels. Although Inuit sculpture is often referred to as 'soapstone' sculpture, in fact, less than half of the stone used is soapstone (a high-grade talc or steatite). Other stones commonly used include serpentine, olivine, periodite, chrysolite, and others. In the early years of the industry it was possible to identify where a carving came from by the specific type of stone used, however, in recent years stone is traded on a wider, regional basis. Whale bone, antler, walrus tusk ivory, and a variety of other materials are also used by Inuit carvers. Themes in Inuit sculpture are based on personal experiences and beliefs, derive from oral traditions, mythology, as well as from narrative and figurative themes depicting arctic fauna and scenes of traditional Inuit life. Regional, community, and individual styles are also apparent.

Balshine family collection.

contemporary art

Part-human, part-animal or spirit creature with a similar smaller figure on its back. Its right mittened arm is extended out, the left has three curved fingers and a bird's head emerging from the top. The bird has round eyes with wooden centres. The creature's large head has inset oval antler eyes with round wooden centres, large round nostrils, high round cheeks and its ovoid mouth is open and has five rounded teeth. The smaller creature's hands grasp the larger's head at the side of its mouth, on one side, and on the cheek, on the other. The smaller figure is facing out to the side and has round eyes with wooden centres. The creature's mouth is pulled to one side and the cheek on this side is wrinkled; nostrils are round and hair is indicated by parallel lines. The back of the figure curves in layers from the hood, parka edge and legs which wrap around the larger figure. The bone is very porous, denser on the sides.