Lot 16
UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON)
Standing Woman and Child, c. 1957-58
stone, soap, and waxed string, 13.5 x 14.5 x 7 in (34.3 x 36.8 x 17.8 cm)
unsigned.

Provenance
Nickerson Family Collection, Winnipeg, purchased with the advice of George Swinton, probably from the Hudson’s Bay Company in Winnipeg;
by descent to a Private Collection, Ontario;
Walker's Auctions, Ottawa, May 2018, Lot 68, reproduced on the front cover of the catalogue;
Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Europe.

Years ago, and again this year, we have spent many hours trying to establish an attribution for this marvelous sculpture. Darlene Wight has suggested Abraham POV (1927-1994) to us, based on the mother’s staring eyes, her downturned mouth, and realistic treatment of her sagging parka hood. We had thought of him as a candidate as well and think he is a distinct possibility, but other possible names present themselves – all from Inukjuak – based on the many works and hundreds of photos we have examined: Abraham Nastapoka, Eli Weetaluktuk, and Aculiak for example. Today we feel that Johnny Inukpuk is a strong contender. We still hope to someday make a firm attribution.
<br. This depiction of a powerful-looking mother and her son is unusual for its standing pose. It is rare in that it is carved from a single piece of stone, especially given its large size and quite simply extraordinary for its sculptural presence. These aspects of the sculpture suggest a date of c. 1957-58 (if an attribution to Johnny Inukpuk is in order, this date fits in well with the evolution of his sculptural style).

We love the slight tilt of the mother’s head, her melancholy eyes, and her downcast mouth; these features are each subtle in themselves, but together they deliver a formidable emotional punch. We find the mother’s riveting gaze to be absolutely mesmerizing. Interestingly, the boy also gazes directly at us, but although his facial features are quite strongly carved, they are more difficult to read. We know that the two are witnessing something important. It is the mother’s expression that seems to register fear or worry. Standing Woman and Child is an extraordinarily moving work of art.

The sculpture is also something of a carving feat. Typically, a composition like this one would be fashioned from three separate pieces of stone. Sculpting it from one large block required incredible craftsmanship and prodigious effort, but also true artistic sensitivity, given the subtle forms and even movement in the sculpture. See how the boy is in motion, having not quite caught up to his mother, who is standing quite still. This movement is not merely captured by placing one foot in front of the other; the figure of the child is set at a slight diagonal. The artist has paid close attention to the figures’ clothing as well, in particular the myriad folds of the mother’s tight-fitting parka. Brilliant.

References: For a fine Standing Hunter attributed to Johnny Inukpuk from c. 1952-53 see First Arts, 12 July 2020, Lot 65. For a large and spectacular standing Mother and Child, Carrying a Pail from the early 1960s see First Arts, 12 July 2020, Lot 24. For a seated mother and child by Abraham POV from c. 1959 see Sculpture/Inuit (CEAC 1971) fig. 287. Abraham POV was the son of Joe Talirunili, but moved to the Inukjuak area in the late 1940s; see Darlene Wight, Early Masters (WAG 2006) pp. 70-73.