Sevoga gained fame while still in his twenties, and by the early 1970s was acknowledged as one of the great Baker Lake master sculptors. He is best known for his monumental yet sensitively portrayed figures and family groups; three fine examples are featured in the AGO exhibition and catalogue Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection (2010), pp. 154-55. Hessel’s comments in the catalogue are apt here: “[Sevoga] imparts to his massive yet elegantly poised family groups, with their broad volumes and sensuous curves, a sturdy delicacy” (p. 108).

In Mother and Child, Sevoga achieves a perfect balance. The woman’s bulky sculptural volume and weight are gently supported by small but sturdy legs; we also love the triangular composition so favoured by this artist. The mother’s wave is a simple yet evocative gesture; her young child is safely nestled in the capacious hood. The sculpture’s overall form is stylized and simplified, yet the details of clothing and the mother’s placid facial features are beautifully rendered; the gentle bulges of her breasts are a subtle, sensuous touch. Interestingly, this gorgeous sculpture reminds us of the marvelous Standing Mother and Child by the Inukjuak master Isa Smiler, carved c. 1953 (see First Arts, 14 June 2022, Lot 21 and front cover). Although separated by both time and distance, these two masterpieces evoke the same sense of sturdiness, harmony, and quiet confidence.

References: For a similarly styled work by Sevoga see Jean Blodgett, Selections from The John and Mary Robertson Collection of Inuit Sculpture, (Kingston: Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 1986), cat. 11, p. 32. For other fine works from this period by Sevoga see Winnipeg Art Gallery, The Zazelenchuk Collection of Eskimo Art, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978), cats. 38-39, p. 37-38; and Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), pp. 154-155. See also Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), pl. 53, p. 69.