Kiakshuk

Kiakshuk, Man and Seal, 4/50, 1964

Stonecut, 12 1/4 x 16 in. (31.1 x 40.6 cm)

Kiakshuk created a series of stonecuts showing scenes from daily life, like this hunting scene. His figures, both human and animal, were quirky and stylized. Taken together, they present a vivid picture of traditional life on the land.

03559-1

Kiakshuk, Igloo and Dog Team, 32/50, 1961

12 1/4 x 24 in.

ex coll. Albrecht Collection of Arctic Art.
Kiakshuk excelled in depicting scenes from daily life. Here, the dog team huddles around the komatik, or sled, while the harness is neatly coiled on a pole. The igloo provides a perfect counterpoint -- cool and geometric -- to the dark animal forms of the dog team. It provides an excellent contrast to Pitseolak Ashoona's "Man Repairing a Sledge," which features the same elements.

03734-1

Kiakshuk, Lumiuk and the whales, 1961

10 x 14 in.

Provenance Private Collection, Santa Fe, NM. Literature Mora Dianne O'Neill, et.al., Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Permanent Collection: Selected Works, (Halifax: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 2002), p. 92, which described the print, "...Lumiuk and the Whales is typical of the work purchased by the southern-run co-ops of the 1960s. It is a strong graphic image depicting a pod of stylized whales passing two equally stylized hunters on the shoreline. It is [...] powerfully rendered".

03542-1

Kiakshuk, Owl attacking snow goose, 10/50, 1961/8, 1961

Stonecut, 12 1/2 x 16 in. (31.8 x 40.6 cm)

Printer: Lukta Qiatsuq, 1928-2004 This stonecut is a complete departure from Kiakshuk's scenes of daily life. The hapless goose squawks in terror, about to be fast in the owl's talons. The owl's feathers are intricately patterned, in contrast to the white snow goose, visually suggesting a struggle between the forces of light and darkness.

03729-1

Kiakshuk, Kikavik and the Hunter, 18/50, 1960

23 1/2 x 28 in.

Kiakshuk drew upon his experience and old stories for the subjects of his prints. This dramatic scene includes an owl with outstretched wings (a kikavik), a hunter, and three fantastic bird spirits. At about the same time, Kenojuak Ashevak and Pitseolak Ashoona were also creating prints with fantasy spirits or demons.

03739-2