Innocent Bystander

Description

‘Innocent Bystander’ by Robert Davidson, 2000 – First Nations Northwest Coast Haida Artist presented by DaVic Gallery of Native Canadian Arts.

Condition:       No condition noted.

Description by Artist:   “One day, Raven was flying over the ocean and saw a halibut fisherman whom he knew was blind. He decided to play a trick on him and dove into the water to jiggle his halibut hook. The fisherman, thinking that he had caught a halibut, reacted with a strong pull to snag the fish. He yanked so hard and fast that he pulled Raven’s beak off. This brought great shame to Raven. In Innocent Bystander the halibut is the object of this story, but if oblivious to the activities that surround him. In this interpretation of a Haida legend, Raven is depicted as being in two places at the same time. The small Raven in the halibut’s mouth represents the conscience of Raven, he is also shown beside the halibut with a broken beak.” – Robert Davidson

Notes from DaVic Gallery:  Rare, collectable and sought-after print design by the well established Haida artist Robert Davidson.

The blank sheet of letter-size (8.5” x 11”) paper covering part of the image in the last picture is for size reference.