PREFACE - Inoucdjouac Print Collection 1976

An excerpt from Inoucdjouac Print Collection, written by Virginia J. Watt, Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, and published by La Fédération des Coopératives du Nouveau Québec (FCNQ) in Montreal in 1976.

During the past twenty-five years much has been written by journalists and romantics about the Inuit and their art. They have expressed their concern about a changing culture, lost traditions and the irrevocable damage being done to a society which is becoming mechanized rapidly. The skidoo has replaced the dogteam, the prefabricated house has replaced the igloo and communication via satellite is the norm.

Although art changes as people change, the works in this collection leave us with the impression of a deep underlying tradition, strong and full of promise.

The interest in many Eskimo prints lies more in the subject rather than the technical skills of the printer. Not so with Thomassie Echaluk's Caribou. This print shows remarkable discipline and control of line. His two beasts strike a lyrical pose and become hauntingly beautiful. In seven of Thomassie's prints he draws upon a romantic landscape to tell his stories… In Polar Bear and Dogs the figure of the bear becomes part of the landscape and the powerful drawing of the dogs creates a striking visual impact.

Daniel Inukpuk is a man of action. His prints have a sense of immediacy. None of his figures are at rest. His images run, fight, fly, play, swim and hunt with enormous energy. His prints show a concern with and a mastery of form which fully equals his interest in his subject matter. In print Eskimos At a Meeting Trying To Decide About Something, Daniel expresses energy as an appealing human comedy.

In Lucossie Echoluk's print A Huskie Helping a Weasel we see a terrified little weasel perched precariously on the head of a snarling, vicious, wild-eyed dog. We recoil at what we are certain will become an act of violence. But Lucassie tells us that we are observing an act of kindness… [His title] relates that the huskie ferries the little weasel from the mainland to an island.

So much for our lofty sensibilities when confronted with Inuit humour! This collection of prints by the Inoucdjouac artists of Arctic Quebec raises a question. Do we intellectualize about other cultures to protect our ignorance of our own traditions? All European and Asian art draws inspiration from traditional forms. We cannot doubt that the northern artist will continue to express his development by the creative use of his own unique cultural roots. The Inuit artists have made a major contribution to the history of Canadian Art and by this contribution have effected an evolution in our taste.