ISA AQIATTUSUK SMILER (1921-1986) INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON)
Standing Mother and Child, c. 1953
stone, walrus tusk, and soap inlay, 11.25 x 7.25 x 6 in (28.6 x 18.4 x 15.2 cm)
unsigned.

Provenance
Important Private Collection, Canada.

As one of the preeminent Inukjuak carvers of the early 1950s, Isa Smiler has a prominent place in Darlene Coward Wight’s 2006 Early Masters catalogue (pp. 92-97). In this catalogue Wight notes that Isa Smiler’s work did not gain much attention in the early years, as had the works of other fine sculptors of the period. Smiler presumably worked in the shadow of Akeeaktashuk and Johnny Inukpuk, who were much promoted by James Houston.

This magnificent sculpture does not stand in the shadow of any Inukjuak work of the period. Standing Mother and Childis one of the finest examples of the Inukjuak School that we have ever seen. The work of a confident master, it combines uncommon beauty and delicacy with a commanding presence. Smiler lavished careful attention to the lovely heads and faces of both the mother and her young child. Often the faces of children are treated in a rather perfunctory manner, but here the face of the slightly grumpy little boy is a delight. Moreover, the treatment of the woman’s clothed figure is nothing short of superlative. Truly, every sculptural volume and curve forms part of a harmonious whole. Rarely have we seen such a beautifully proportioned and well executed sculpture from this period. Wow.

One of the extraordinary aspects of this work is the very fact that it depicts a standing woman and child. Almost all the large “mother and child” works from this era are seated, whereas this woman stands tall and proud and serene. Her figure is remarkably well balanced on its sturdy legs; we love the view in profile, where we can appreciate how the mother leans forward slightly to counterbalance the weight of her child.

Three important early mother and child sculptures attributed to Smiler are illustrated in Early Masters. A fourth is illustrated in the Waddington’s Nov. 2008 catalogue, and another in Walker’s Nov. 2016 auction catalogue (Lot 39). Assuming all attributions are correct, and using Wight’s dating, we suggest a date of 1953 for Standing Mother and Child, around the middle of the chronology and slightly later than the Walker’s example. While the two sculptures are related in style, Standing Mother and Child shows clear evidence that the artist had become more accomplished and confident as a sculptor.

References: For more examples of Mother and Child sculptures attributed to Smiler, see Darlene Coward Wight, Early Masters: Inuit Sculpture 1949-1955, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2006), p. 92, 94-95. For a contemporaneous and smaller example of standing mother and child by Akeeakatshuk, see Jean Blodgett, Port Harrison / Inoucdjouac, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1976), cat 14, p. 45.