PARR (1893-1969) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Four Women, 1963 #39
engraving
plate: 9.75 x 11.75 in (24.8 x 29.8 cm)
sheet: 12.5 x 15.25 in (31.8 x 38.7 cm)
23/50
$1,200
Four Women is reproduced in Ernst Roch, ed., Arts of the Eskimo: Prints (Montreal: Signum Press, 1974) page 74. The commentary for the work reads,
In spite of the title of this print, the parkas worn by these four mysterious beings define them as men; there are no voluminous amautiq hoods, nor are there long, elegant skirt-tails and aprons, which every Eskimo woman wears. Beneath the short attire are not skirts but over-pants worn by hunters. Without distracting details of any kind, this is the universal image of a group walking together. To Parr, technique is subservient to the subject, which is realized with near-absolute directness. All his engravings were executed by Parr himself, whereas the stone-cuts that bear his name were done by specialized carvers after his drawings.
Parr found engraving on copper plates quite difficult, and he gave up and went back to drawing after only a few attempts. It’s a pity, because the results are quite lovely. It’s interesting to see how different the textural effects are in this engraving compared to contemporaneous drawings by Parr. The look is more controlled—as it would be by necessity in engraving—but the restless energy of Parr’s figures is still very much in evidence.