Lot 32
JOHN TIKTAK, R.C.A. (1916-1981)
Lot 32 Details
JOHN TIKTAK, R.C.A. (1916-1981), Rankin Inlet / Kangiqliniq
MOTHER AND CHILD
stone
signed in syllabics, ca. 1980
11.75 x 9 x 4 in — 29.8 x 22.9 x 10.2 cm
Estimate $25,000-$35,000
Additional Images
Provenance:
North of Sixty Art Ltd, St. Andrews, NB
Private Collection, Oakville, ON
Note:
Mothers with their children was a subject that fascinated the artist. While in some versions, Tiktak’s subjects can seem strained or overburdened, this iteration is wonderfully serene. The child tilts his face up as if to catch the light, or to observe a passing bird.
Tiktak’s style is well-noted for its minimalism, rooted as it was in the hardness of the available stone, which limited the artist’s ability to capture detail. Yet there is something facile in this characterization, as if it was the stone itself that produced genius, rather than the artist who harnessed it.
Everything about this sculpture has been stripped to its essentials, a portrait of restraint. Tiktak would have been more than capable of adding a coat flap or the outline of a boot but instead chose not to. It is but the purest form that we see in front of us, seen as if in a dream or from a distance. All that remains is a mother carrying her child, smiling.
CONDITION DETAILS
Good condition, no visible issues to report.
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