Tivi Ilisituk

Canadian, b. 1933

Mother and Child, c. 1956

Stone

23.9 x 23.2 x 19.1 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; The Swinton Collection; Gift of the Women's Committee

G-60-26

Categories:

Sculpture, Inuit

Sculpture has been created in the small Nunavik (Arctic Quebec) community of Salluit since the early 1950s. However, in the period 1952 to 1957, there was an outpouring of high-quality work by both men and women, as encouraged by the Hudson’s Bay Company manager at that time. Tivi Ilisituk was one of the most talented carvers to emerge from this period, and he continued to carve in later years. Unlike most of the early Salluit sculptures, those by Tivi Ilisituk are dynamic in form. Heads and bodies turn dramatically, creating a circular movement around the works. Folds in the clothing are accentuated and continue the swinging rhythms. In this sculpture, the monumental form of the mother’s body and parka create an idealized image of strength and protection.