Lot 240
Peter Pitseolak (Inuit, 1902-1973). "The Little Owl" (Cape Dorset) - stonecut print on paper, 1967. Edition 19/50. Signed, titled, and numbered in pencil below image. A beautiful and quite sizeable stonecut print depicting an owl facing the viewer with an expressive visage and impressive outspread wings with finely delineated plumage. The stonecut is hand signed and set in an attractive custom frame. Peter Pitseolak was an Inuit artist and historian as well as Baffin Island's first indigenous photographer. He lived most of his life near Cape Dorset (Kingait) located on the southwest coast of Baffin Island. Witnessing dramatic social change from nomadic to permanent ways of life, Pitseolak used photography to preserve the folklore, hunting techniques, and other aspects of what he deemed was a disappearing culture. As an insider to the Inuit ways of life, Peter made a major contribution by documenting Inuit culture for future generations. Size of sight view: 15.75" L x 20.5" W (40 cm x 52.1 cm) Size of frame: 22.2" L x 26.7" W (56.4 cm x 67.8 cm)
According to Library and Archives Canada (LAC), "Inuit historian, camp leader, artist, writer and photographer, Peter Pitseolak's work around the community of Cape Dorset, on the southwest coast of Baffin Island, dates from the 1940s. A rich tradition of creativity and artistic ability has emerged from Nunavut and particularly Cape Dorset. Inspired by the region's traditional Inuit culture, legends and the Arctic environment, the area's artists have drawn unparalleled inspiration and distinct themes from their heritage and surroundings. Pitseolak spent much of his life in traditional camps in an area called Seekooseelak on the southwest coast of Baffin Island, documenting elements of traditional culture in his drawings, paintings, sound recordings and photographs. As a boy, Pitseolak met photographer Robert J. Flaherty. Flaherty is best known for his 1922 film Nanook of the North."
According to Dorset Fine Arts, "Stonecut is an elegant process and Cape Dorset printmakers have refined it to a fine art. The first step is tracing the original drawing and applying it to the smooth surface of the prepared stone. Using india ink, the stonecutter delineates the drawing on the stone and then cuts away the areas that are not to appear in print, leaving the uncut areas raised, or in relief. The raised area is inked using rollers and then a thin sheet of paper - usually fine, handmade Japanese paper - is placed over the inked surface. A protective sheet of tissue is placed over this sheet, and the paper is pressed gently against the stone by hand with a small, padded disc. Only one print can be pulled from each inking of the stone, so the edition takes time and patience and care."
Provenance: private Denver collection, USA, by inheritance before 2000 from the Harry Tammen Family collection, former owner of the Denver Post
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#172657
- Condition: This print has not been examined outside the frame but appears to be in good condition save normal age wear. It is signed, titled, and numbered in pencil below the image. The frame is also in good condition save normal age wear. Wired for suspension and ready to display.
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