KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
etching and aquatint, Plate: 14 1/2 x 22 1/2 in (36.8 x 57.1 cm) / Sheet: 23 1/8 x 31 3/8 in (58.7 x 79.8 cm)
18/50
In Submerged Spirits, the eye is pulled across a field of suspended motion, where figures seem to hover and turn in place. Bodies extend into long, blade-like ornaments that recur from one passage to the next, so the surface reads as a single, continuous drift rather than a set of isolated forms. Colour follows this movement; it slides through small gradations, thinning and deepening as if light were passing through layers. Curves are cut with a firm edge, yet they still feel supple, so each contour reads as both controlled and alive. The result is a composition in constant change, with forms that suggest living structure, enlarged and set adrift, and with an energy that keeps the viewer moving further into the image.
