Kananginak Pootoogook was admired as a camp leader, respected hunter, and printmaker and graphic artist extraordinaire. In his own drawings, he was inspired to both document traditional subjects and create naturalistic portraits of the animals and birds he so loved. Once referred to as the “Audubon of the North,” his naturalistic renditions of wildlife subjects, both in repose and in action, are truly extraordinary. Despite its violent subject matter, this drawing is a beautiful, detailed portrait of two dogs that have just been fed by their master. Finely rendered details, such as claws and staring eyes, and the colour transitions in the fur, combined with the aggressive stances of the dogs, are meticulously captured. Kananginak’s genius was his ability to portray not only the physical details of his subjects, but also their movements, their intelligence, and in this case, their sense of competition and even greed.

References: For fine examples of drawings by the artist, see Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), pp. 182-183; Ingo Hessel, Kananginak Pootoogook: Celebrating Five Decades of Artistic Achievement, (Toronto: Museum of Inuit Art, 2010); see also Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Phoenix, AZ: Heard Museum/Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2006), p. 107. Leslie Boyd, Kananginak Pootoogook: Drawings and Prints from Kinngait, (Portland, OR: Pomegranate, 2023). See also Robert Kardosh, “The Other Kananginak Pootoogook,” in Inuit Art Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 1, Spring 2007, pp. 10-18.