Pauta Saila

The foremost carver of bears in his lifetime, Pauta was perhaps also the most dedicated and prolific in his exploration of the subject. His intimate knowledge of the animal contributed to a unique treatment of the iconic Arctic creature, known for its ferocity, but also for its sometimes cautious, and even sensitive disposition.

Pauta enjoyed carving bears, and often depicted the animal at play, saying of his subject, and their range of behaviors, “polar bears are just like people. They can do many things humans do. They can stand or sit, just like us. They look around, just as we do. The polar bear acts just as the hunter does. They hunt for their food as the Inuit do, or used to do. They crawl very carefully toward a seal exactly the same as a man” adding to this “some polar bears are more clever than humans”. [1]

Dancing Bear, an important work by the artist, dates circa 1985, a period during which many of Pauta’s most iconic examples were carved. A heavyweight among bears made over his career, it exhibits a nearly unique massiveness of presence. Its weight and the huge diameter of the bear’s limbs emphasize Pauta’s exceptional talent for engineering and balance. Its playful disposition illustrates Pauta’s gift for finding the intimate in the monumental.

[1] Gerald McMaster Et al., In the Shadow of the Sun: Perspectives on Contemporary Native Art (Hull: Canadian Museum of History, 1993), 435-36.