Lot 128B
SHEOUAK PETAULASSIE (1923-1961)
Provenance:
a California private collection
Note:
Walruses are much more graceful in the water than they are on land. They swim in much the same way that seals do, propelling themselves forward with sinuous body movements. Sheouak has created the most elegant image of walruses that we can recall seeing. There is something almost balletic about the way these three huge animals float, seemingly weightless and carefree. The different treatment of their bodies above and below the waterline is brilliantly executed by the master printmaker Iyola.
Reference: this image is illustrated in the National Museum of Man travelling exhibition catalogue The Inuit Print (NMM, 1977) p. 64; also in James Houston, Eskimo Prints (Longman, 1971) p. 52.