The Different Styles of Inuit Sculptures
At first, all Inuit soapstone sculptures from the Arctic may
look alike. However, there are variances in artistic styles
among the different Inuit art producing communities. Although
all communities produce Inuit sculptures featuring both animal
and human subjects, some seem to do more animals while others do
more people figures. Some communities make their subjects appear
quite realistic with lots of high detail while in others, a more
crude and primitive look is preferred. There are Inuit
sculptures that have a highly polished finishes and some that
are the complete opposite where they are left dull and
unpolished.
Some areas specialize in producing small scale miniatures much
like the artwork by their ancestors who first came into contact
with white men. Inuit sculpture can range from quite
conservative to bold or even wildly outrageous. Scenes can be
playful like a piece depicting two Inuit children playing or
with a sense of humor like a walrus waving. On the other end,
transformation and shamanic pieces can look disturbing or even
frightening to some. Hunting scenes can portray the gory
realities of life and death in nature.
One thing that all Inuit sculptures have in common is that they
show the fact that Inuit people have deep connections with their
family life, their natural surroundings and spiritual beliefs.
It is interesting to observe that even if some Inuit artists
have converted to Christianity as their religion, they may still
include Inuit spirituality and legends as a big part of their
lives. This is portrayed in some of their Inuit sculpture and
other artwork.
The differences in artistic style are partly due to the
different types of stone and other materials available in each
community as well as regional preferences. Of course there can
be outside influences when Inuit artists travel from community
to community. This is particularly the case with larger growing
communities like Iqaluit which has seen an influx of Inuit from
other parts of Nunavut ever since becoming its capital. One can
find a variety and blending of Inuit art styles here. A longer
version of this article which describes the different styles of
Inuit sculptures from different Canadian Arctic regions can be
found at the Free Spirit Gallery website.