Lot 71
JESSIE OONARK (1906-1985)
Provenance:
The John and Mary Robertson collection, CA,
by descent to present owner
John and Mary Robertson started the Robertson Galleries in Ottawa in 1953 working tirelessly to promote Inuit art tocollectors all over the world. They purchased art directly from artists in the Arctic for both the gallery and their own collection. Mary Robertson was director of fine arts at the Canadian Arctic Producers from 1976 to 1979 and marketing consultant for the National Museums of Canada from 1979 to 1981. John Robertson was the administrative officer for the National Gallery and it was during this time that he desired to be more a part of the cultural and aesthetic aspect of the art world. He also was a member of the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council. Their impact as pioneers in the appreciation and understanding of Inuit carvings as art earned them the reputation as having one of the top galleries to exhibit Inuit art. Several pieces included in this auction were exhibited in Selections from The John and Mary Robertson Collection of Inuit Sculpture at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston in 1986.
Note:
“The Baker Lake printshop made its debut into contemporary graphic art with a catalogue featuring this exciting print on its cover. Geometry, abstraction, design and activated symmetry are all combined to bring out the very real image of a woman in her winter dress. The brilliant colours emphasize the contrasting shades of caribou skin, beautifully assembled to form a traditional design on the parka. With this print Oonark set a style for herself to which she has remained true - strong and explicit use of line, an intelligent positioning of mass and daring choice of colour. [Printer, Thomas] Manik, inspired by Oonark’s splendid drawing, cut the stone and printed the edition with a deep understanding of the subject.”
Arts of the Eskimo: Prints, Patrick Furneaux and Leo Rosshandler, Ernst Roch, ed.,1974, pg. 196-7
This image, of a different edition, is illustrated in Jessie Oonark, A Retrospective, Jean Blodgett and Marie Bouchard, Winnipeg Art Gallery, exh. cat., 1986-7, pg. 112, pl. 37
“The influence on Oonark’s prints of her work in appliquéd wall hangings is obvious in this figure, with its broad, flat colour areas. The inset patterns of traditional caribou clothing are formalized in a brilliantly coloured decorative pattern.”
The Inuit Print, exh. cat., from the National Museum of Man (Ottawa, ON), 1977, pg. 200-1, pl. 114