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Artworks
SHEOUAK PETAULASSIE (1918-1961) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
The Pot Spirits, 1960 #55Printmaker: LUKTA QIATSUK (1928- 2004) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
stencil, 11 x 17 in (27.9 x 43.2 cm), framed, sight.
a "Govt B" proof [?] aside from the numbered edition of 50
LOT 84
ESTIMATE: $6,000 — $9,000
PRICE REALIZED: $16,800.00Inuit traditionally believed that not only humans and animals, but also places and even rocks and plants could be imbued with spirits. Jean Blodgett specifically mentions lamps (qulliq oil lamps) as objects that might potentially house a spirit [1]. So why not pots and kettles? Pot Spirits showcases a lively parade of anthropomorphic cooking pots dancing across the page. The jaunty poses of the figures display a rhythm that underscores the bustling trajectory of the characters. The image exudes a sense of merriment and animation - quite literally. Hilariously, the pots look like characters come to life and marching along in a Disney animated film - we are reminded of the magical, whimsical scenes of dancing brooms in Fantasia and dishes in Beauty and the Beast.Sheouak passed away in 1961 at the age of 43. In spite of her all too brief career, this artist left an indelible mark on printmaking in Kinngait. Ten images by Sheouak were selected by James Houston for inclusion in the 1960 and 1961 print collections, suggesting that Houston recognized her as a remarkable talent. The delightful Pot Spirits is her most famous and best-loved print, but we would like to mention a 1962 image, the charming Shore Birds on Rocks, which has a very similar composition.
1. Jean Blodgett, The Coming and Going of the Shaman: Eskimo Shamanism and Art (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978), p. 47.References:
Employing anthropomorphizing strategies that rival those of a Disney animation artist, in Pot Spirits, Sheouak presents us with a sprightly procession of human-cookware hybrid creatures. There is a delightful freedom of movement in these fantastical revelers who cavort in a range of dancing poses. At right, the square-shaped spirit raises its arms and seems to be swaying, perhaps trying to regain its balance. The feet of the remaining three figures point left as they promenade toward the margin of the sheet. Stenciled by Lukta Qiatsuk, the deeply saturated gem-toned inks cascade across the sheet, with red rising in a crescendo in the centre and gently petering to the left and right where it mingles and merges with a dark blue.
References: This print has been widely reproduced, including in the National Museum of Man international touring exhibition catalogue, The Inuit Print, (Ottawa: National Museum of Man, 1977) cat. 13; Leslie Boyd Ryan, Cape Dorset Prints: A Retrospective, (San Francisco: Pomegranate, 2007), p. 180 and back cover; and elsewhere.
It is interesting to note that, Rosemary Gilliat (later Eaton), a photojournalist who sojourned to the Canadian Arctic in the summer and fall of 1960, used Pot Spirits as the basis for staging for one of her photographs of the artist. On September 26, 1960, Gilliat wrote, “[W]ent with Barb [Barbara Hinds] to revisit Sheouak - the lady artist - author of the very delightful 'Pot Spirits' print. [...] I had done a rough drawing of the print & beside it one of Sheouak crouched over her pots to give her an idea of what I wanted. She grasped this very quickly, & [indistinct] started pouring water from one pot into the other - and back again - with immense verve” [1]. The picture that Gilliat would take shows the artist with a metal teapot in her right hand. One can reasonably speculate that this very same object served as the inspiration for the kettle figure in the lively parade of anthropomorphic cookware we see in Pot Spirits [2].1. Library and Archives Canada, Rosemary Gilliat Eaton Fonds, R12438-0-0-E, box 3 file 5, 'Arctic Trip Diary.’ 26 September 1960
2. See Rosemary Gilliat (later Eaton), Sheouak Petaulassie pouring water from a kettle into a mug, Cape Dorset, Nunavut, (no date, probably 26 September 1960), Library and Archives Canada, Gilliat Eaton Fonds, R12438-2669-4-E. Volume/box number: 15., Item No. 4324346.Provenance
Private Collection, Santa Fe, NM.
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