Untitled (Hunter on Sled and Dog Team)

Description

Untitled (Hunter on Sled and Dog Team) by Luke Anguhadluq – Inuit Art – Baker Lake c. 1970 original drawing presented by DaVic Gallery of Native Canadian Arts.

Condition:          Overall very good condition with some paper handling marks caused by the artist.  Also, imprint images from drawing lines made by the artist when drawing on a paper over this paper (see pictures # 6 & 7).  Graphite smudge above the image of the dog also caused by the artist while drawing this piece.  This intentionally left as-is as opposed to sending for professional restoration to maintain the integrity and originality of the effort of the artist, including mistakes, oversights and handling marks on the paper.

Description by Artist:     No description by artist found.

Notes from DaVic Gallery:    Luke would rotate the paper as he drew and this is the reason why often his images are presented in circular formation of the subjects.  In this case this is not evident and the full composition is presented as perceived from one same perspective and plane as the viewer standing and the dogs and sled passing in front of him.  Even most of the pencil strokes that fill the subjects are horizontal mostly.  Perhaps only when Luke wrote in syllabics “dogs” and “sled” he must have rotated the page.  Similar to the other drawings by Luke presented in this gallery, seldom we see continuous lines, as one can detect interrupted lines where he lifts his pencil to then attempt to continue drawing on the same line, but interruptions can be seen.  This is more evident when looking at the single pencil lines that would’ve been necessary to draw the whip and the lines from sled to the dogs.  One has to ask why Luke would make no effort to stay on the same line when drawing over it and in some cases even unfinished.   Perhaps he is less concerned with aesthetic details than telling a story.  Luke’s pencil strokes are firm and strong that can be felt and seen on the reverse side of the paper and on the drawing itself we can see the ghost images of the drawing done on the paper that may have been over this one.  Surely there might be another drawing where the ghost images created by this one may be seen too (picture #5).  So much whitespace left unused giving the entire image the sense of vastness.

This hunter had good fortune catching two male caribou that he carries on his sled.  This drawing is not signed.

The key to the success and survival of the Inuit in extreme cold temperatures of the arctic is with the use of warm clothing from caribou hide that provides insulation against penetrating cold.  Caribou hair is hollow trapping insulating air between the hairs and inside them. Clothing made from this material is extraordinarily warm, lightweight, water repellent and durable.

Caribou skin pants (kuliksak) were worn with the fur facing inside or outside. The socks (aliqsik) were always worn with the fur to the inside. Mittens (atqatik) were preferred over gloves because fingers are less susceptible to frostbite when cocooned in the warm pocket of air within a mitten.  No modern materials can match the combination of warmth and light weight of caribou skin boots (kamik).

A traditional sewing bag (ikpiagruk)—a pouch made from caribou leg skins—contained needles of carved caribou bone, walrus ivory, or caribou antler. The thimbles were made either from caribou skin, sheep leg bones, or caribou antler. Women made their own thread either from a single strand or multiple braided strands of sinew—a natural fiber from tendons in the caribou’s leg or back. Sinew thread is extremely strong and swells when wet, tightly filling the needle holes so the clothing is water resistant.

To make an item of clothing, a Nunamiut woman first dries the hide and then laboriously scrapes the leathery side to make it supple. Bull, cow, and calf hides have different qualities which suit them for specific purposes. For example, the thin, flexible caribou calf skins are ideal for parkas; mid-weight cow skins are best for mittens, pants, and socks; and winter boots are made from the durable leg and back skins of bull caribou. Hides from particular seasons also have differing qualities. Highly resilient boot soles, for instance, are made from the back skin of a large bull caribou taken in the fall, when the hide is thick and strong.

For size comparison with letter size sheet, please reference picture # 5