Aboriginal culture
The indigenous populations are numerous on the territory. One of the best known, the Inuit population, became aware of the notion of art through their encounter with the Western world. In 1906, the foundation of the Canadian Guild of Crafts played an essential role in the development of an Inuit art market.
Before the 20th century, the Native people of the Great American North produced two categories of objects: everyday and ritual. The ritual or shamanic art includes masks and sculptures. As a reminder, shamanism brings humans and spirits together. During the rites, the shaman channels the spiritual energies that surround him for the good of the community. Shamanic practice began three millennia before us (pre-Dorset period). The objects, carved in perishable materials, have not withstood the ravages of time. The Dorset period saw the development of religious figurines, animals and supernatural creatures, made of ivory, wood or stone. In the 1920s, these objects were very popular with Western buyers.
The following period, known as the Thule period, which lasted until the encounter with the Whites, was dominated by the theme of hunting. Foreign techniques were more or less incorporated into local traditions. TheAlaska State Museum in Juneau brings together photographs and artistic productions to offer a panorama of native culture. Nearly 2,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints invite you to delve into the heart of these fascinating cultures. The oldest work is a watercolor by William Ellis, made during Captain Cook's exploration in 1778. It is the earliest surviving image of Alaska.
The Tlingit people, who live throughout Southeast Alaska, believe that the art of carving cements the tribe. Any artist must know the symbols, myths, master the carving of wood and be creative. The art is above all ceremonial: masks, utensils and especially totems. On the totems, the motifs relate the history and mythology of the clan. One of the best known tells the story of Kets, a bear hunter who falls in love with a female grizzly disguised as a human. Christian missionaries sadly destroyed many of these totem poles. And while few pre-1900 totem poles have stood the test of time, some can be seen at the Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan. However, the Tlingit continue to make them to mark the entrance to ceremonial places or to commemorate an event. Tlingit artist Nathan Jackson (b. 1938) is hailed as the father of contemporary art in the Pacific Northwest. His totem poles convey the identity of his people and revitalize a traditional art form that inspires new generations.
Landscapers
Alaska's earliest known Western painters, who arrived from various American states, present us with the Alaska of yesteryear. Sydney Laurence (1865-1940) is among the most famous Alaskan artists. Born in Brooklyn in 1865, this romantic painter trained as an artist in New York and then joined an artist's community in Cornwall between 1889 and 1898. It was here that he began to exhibit his work, both in the United Kingdom and at the Paris Salon (1890, 1894 and 1895). In 1904, he decided to settle in Alaska, in Valdez, and put painting on hold until 1911. From 1915, he lived in Anchorage where he developed a singular style, at the crossroads of American and European learning and the vast spaces of Alaska. In his wild landscapes, full of romanticism, sailboats and liners float or stand as totems. Through his portraits of natives, he helps to keep the local culture alive. Among his most famous paintings is his depiction of Mount McKinley from the hills overlooking the Tokositna River. Several of his paintings are in the collection of theAnchorage Museum, which is a museum of art, history and ethnography.
Eustace Ziegler (1881-1969) was a native of Detroit. A churchman, he settled in Alaska in 1909, in Cordova. He painted Alaska before the gold rush, its borders and its people with a vibrant realism, with impressionist accents. An influential figure in the artistic community of his time, he founded the Puget Sound group of Northwest Painters. A retrospective of his work was held at the Anchorage Museum.
Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) is distinguished by his vast desert landscapes, made up of almost abstract white and earth tones. Also an architect, explorer, writer, and carpenter, he sublimated the wilderness in both his writing and his visual works.
Modern Inuit Art
The meeting of these two worlds led to the emergence of modern Inuit art. This period began in 1948, with James Archibald Houston's trip to these lands. He quickly sensed the commercial potential of Inuit creations. A thousand native productions were sold in Montreal during what was the first exhibition of Inuit art. Among the amateurs, the brother-in-law of the famous artist Henri Matisse, Georges Duthuit, art critic and collector, brings back Yupik masks in France. Marguerite, the artist's daughter, asked him to illustrate a book on the Arctic. Matisse drew 50 illustrations, based on portraits of Inuit photographed during Thule's fifth expedition to the Arctic in the 1920s. A true cultural and spiritual encounter occurs. Matisse feels a strong connection with these portraits, but also with the masks created to invoke the spirits of the animals to ensure their return in the spring. Each mask represents for the Yupik, related to the Inuit, the inua or yua, the life force of an animal. In Inuit communities, masks are worn to tell stories, and to pay homage to the yua through rituals and dances. An exhibition in 2018 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix brought together Matisse's portraits of Inuit with Alaskan masks.
But the event that made the whole world aware of Inuit art was the World's Fair in Montreal (1967). Drawings and prints grouped under the term "qimiqrunguaq" were thus revealed. These two arts are affirmed on the basis of a mixture of techniques that develops from 1950. In drawing, the art is narrative and describes myths or everyday life with a simplified aesthetic lexicon. The print occupies a special place because it is the result of collaboration within the community. The motif is often entrusted to a woman, before being put into ink. The motifs, animals, imaginary beings and scenes from everyday life are distinguished by the asymmetrical composition, intended to create movement and depth. Pitseolak Ashoona (1904-1983) was one of the first Inuit artists to produce autobiographical work. Her traditional images are admired around the world.
Sculptor Larry Ulaaq Ahvakana
With his tribal name Ulaaq and Sweetcharu, the artist was born in Fairbanks in the 1940s. Coming from the Inupiaq tribe, he left his native region to become a student at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, then at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. There he reconnected with his roots and met his mentor, Apache sculptor Allan Houser. His works have entered many private and public collections. They focus on animal representations, the Inupiaq figures. Carved in wood, ivory, metal or marble, they aim to spread the history of his people.
Contemporary scene
Tradition and the relationship to the environment continue to permeate contemporary art. However, these themes are generating proposals that are becoming more diverse, as can be seen at the Alaska Biennial, an event hosted by theAnchorage Museum. For the past thirty years, the art fair has presented and supported local contemporary creation: drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, all forms of expression testify to the cultural vitality. We have been able to discover personalities such as Annette Bellamy whose work in the fishing industry feeds the creation. Her sculptures, whether posed or suspended, call upon ancestral materials. Graceful and pure, her works have something universal about them. Annette Bellamy also exhibits at the Rasmuson Foundation in Anchorage. The foundation supports artists through its collection, grants and temporary exhibitions.
In Alaska, the art galleries are of a beautiful variety. In Anchorage, the International Gallery of Contemporary Art (427 D Street, Anchorage) promotes interdisciplinary art. Its ambition is to put a creative space at the disposal of the population. Discovery and experimentation are the key words of this place which regroups four studios in addition to exhibition rooms.
For several decades, Aurora Fine Art (737 W5th Ave Suite E) has presented artists from all over Alaska in their diversity. Some enjoy an international reputation like pointillist painter Gail Niebrugge. Born in California, she fell under the spell of Alaska during her vacation in 1976, and never left. She painted Alaskan landscapes for over forty years, until her recent death. At Aurora Fine Art, you can also admire native artists, such as the sculptor Susie Silook who deals with the female cause through idols made of ivory and wood.
Public Art
In Anchorage, mural art tells the local story and reflects the life of the community. It can be found everywhere. Our selection? A real history book, Anchorage History is a mural by Bob Patterson located behind the City Hall. From the arrival of Captain Cook to the present day, it shows the events, places and personalities that have marked the history of Alaska.
The long Wyland Whaling Wall painting along Town Square Park is one of more than 100 whaling-themed murals that Robert Wyland has painted around the world. His works are part of his actions in favor of the environment. Sculpted this time, The Last Blue Whale by Jospeh Priniciotti stands masterfully in front of the Boney Courthouse, in downtown Anchorage. An ode to life!
