PROBABLY AMIDLAK (1897-1961) OR LEVI AMIDLAK (1931-1998/99) INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON)
Totemic Composition with Bears, c. 1953-4
stone and walrus tusk, 10.5 x 5 x 3 in (26.7 x 12.7 x 7.6 cm)
unsigned.

ESTIMATE: $10,000 — $15,000

Provenance
An Ottawa Collection.

Totemic Composition with Bears is quite similar in style to a fine Totemic Composition with Bears and a Bird from c. 1953-54 that we offered in Nov. 2021 (Lot 10). The two works in turn have a definite “family resemblance” to the Totemic Composition with Bears, Otter, and Seal, also from c. 1953-54 (see First Arts, July 2020, Lot 64), likely carved by one of three Amidlaks listed in that catalogue (and most probably by Amidlak or his son Levi).

Totem-style compositions were carved regularly for a couple of years in the early 1950s (but almost exclusively in Inukjuak), inspired by a fanciful drawing of an “Inuit totem pole” by James Houston in his notorious 1951 instructional publication Sanajasak: Eskimo Handicrafts. See Darlene Wight’s Early Masters catalogue for several examples. Obviously the three Amidlak compositions, including the present work, take the idea to a whole new level.

Like the others, Totemic Composition with Bears completely transcends the rather comical look of Houston’s drawing. But as the only example to depict a single animal species, it really focuses our attention on “bearness” much like a sculpture by Pauta Saila does. The emphasis here is on power and ferocity. Try this: look at the image for only a split-second, and don’t be surprised if it reminds you of a standing Pauta bear - or a small family of Pauta bears!

References: For a discussion of the life and work of Amidlak see Darlene Coward Wight, Early Masters: Inuit Sculpture 1949-1955 (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2006), pp. 44-49. For a similarly styled work by Amidlak see First Arts, 12 July 2020, Lot 64, and 30 Nov. 2021, Lot 10.