Sheokjuk Oqutaq
Father & Child c 1970
Signed in syllabics
Cape Dorset
13 x 11 x 8”
Sheokjuk was famous for carving diminutive figures with extraordinary refined details in stone and ivory as early as 1950. A total of 13 of his early works are featured in Darlene Wight's Early Masters publication. Sheokjuk is also known for elegant fish - arguably the very best fish out there - and bird sculptures which were only surpassed by his brother Osuitok Ipeelee.
Father & Son is a bit of a discovery. It is the largest Sheokjuk carving I am aware of and the only rendering of a father & child I have seen by the artist. The facial features, while expressive and refined, are quite different from his early figural works. This sculpture may have been a commission by someone who greatly admired his figural work. It may also have been inspired by his peers carving larger figural works around him.
