-
Artworks
JUANISIALU IRQUMIA (1912-1977) m., PUVIRNITUQ (POVUNGNITUK)
Two Women Preparing Skins, 1958-60stone, 6.25 x 10 x 6 in (15.9 x 25.4 x 15.2 cm)
signed and inscribed with disc number, "JOANESSEALUK / E.9. 1407".
LOT 146
ESTIMATE: $5,000 — $8,000Further images
As a young child Juanisialu was one of the passengers aboard the umiaq that was made famous with Joe Talirunili’s Migration Boat series. Perhaps as a result of this misadventure...As a young child Juanisialu was one of the passengers aboard the umiaq that was made famous with Joe Talirunili’s Migration Boat series. Perhaps as a result of this misadventure he suffered from a debilitating fear of travelling by kayak on the open water. Juanisialu is probably best known as a graphic artist. One of the mainstays of the Puvirnituq print program, he designed and carved more than one hundred stonecut print blocks between 1962 and his death in 1977. He was, however, an accomplished stone carver - after all, he carved his own print blocks - and while prolific, he created some admirable sculptures.Two Women Preparing Skins is carved in a realistic style, but not in the “high realism” practised by Charlie Sivuarapik and his followers in the community. Instead, Juanisialu created softly rounded and modulated volumes that emphasize form over precise detail. This helps to create an aura of serenity that makes this sculpture so appealing.The work is hardly lacking in detail, however; we learn quite a lot about the effort and skill that was involved in preparing skins for clothing and other uses. The standing woman is washing a sealskin over a fire. Seal skins had to be washed quickly in fresh water for best results, and in boiling water if the hair needed to be removed to fashion waterproof footwear and mittens. The seated woman is scraping a skin, removing fat and blubber; the process of washing and scraping was repeated at least once.
Literature: Juanisialu’s prints can be found in twelve Puvirnituq annual print collection catalogues between the years 1962 and 1980. For sculptures by the artist see George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit (Toronto: M&S, 1972/92), figs. 335, 340; Zebedee Nungak and Eugene Arima, EskimoStories: Povungnituk (Hull: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1988), pp. 30, 148. See also Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, May 2012, Lot 324; Nov. 2017, Lot 223.Provenance
Marion Scott Gallery, Vancouver, BC;
Acquired from the above by Fred and Mary Widding, Ithaca, NY, August 2004.
Exhibitions
Ithaca, NY, Handwerker Gallery, Gannett Center, Ithaca College, Of the People; Inuit Sculpture from the Collection of Mary and Fred Widding, 26 February - 6 April 2008, cat. no. 30Publications
Cheryl Kramer & Lillian R. Shafer eds., Of the People; Inuit Sculpture from the Collection of Mary and Fred Widding, exh. cat., (Ithaca, NY: Handwerker Gallery, Gannett Center, Ithaca College, 2008), reproduced, cat. no. 30.
Join Our Mailing List
Join our mailing list
* denotes required fields
We will process the personal data you have supplied in accordance with our privacy policy (available on request). You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.