Eskimo artist Kenojuak
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Eskimo artist Kenojuak |
| Original title | Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak |
| Country of production | Canada |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1964 |
| length | 20 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | John Feeney |
| script | John Feeney |
| production | Tom Daly |
| music | Eldon Rathburn |
| camera | François Séguillon |
| cut | John Feeney |
| occupation | |
| |
Eskimo artist Kenojuak (Original title: Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak ) is a Canadian short - documentary by John Feeney (1922-2006) from the year 1964. He was at the Oscars 1965 in the category "Best Short Documentary" nomination.
content
The film follows the family of Kenojuak Ashevak as they go to their winter shelter in Cape Dorset , Baffin Island . There the family grants an insight into the rough life of the Inuit culture and lets the viewer participate in the everyday life of the family members as well as in their daily monotony. The family is also shown how they pass the time playing shadows and then go to sleep. For Kenojuak this is the time to pursue her passion, drawing. First the painting is created on paper.
The next day there is a trip to the nearby town of King Night, where the school and doctor are located. There the men of the village work the stones according to the templates made by the women. The hard stones are plowed with stone cutting tools. This is how large blocks of art by Kenojuak are created. Then the colors are mixed and applied to the stones. A piece of paper is placed on the wet paint and the paint rubbed in again. The works of art transferred onto paper are then signed by Kenojuak himself, her husband who applied the paint, and the man who worked the stone.
The artist explains that she draws her inspiration for her work from everyday life as well as from other sources such as films showing modern life. In addition, Kenojuak explains Ashevalk about her drawings with regard to the cultural reference, which she would like to see understood as inheritance passed on to her descendants.
The film ends with a sequence of her youngest son dancing to country music.
Production, background
James Houston (1921-2005), the Canadian artist and government representative for the Inuit settlement Cape Dorset, participated as an advisor on the film. The Inuit Mary Pingwartuk, Saggiassie, Kopapik and Makeegak also assisted with the shooting.
Kenojuak Ashevak (1927–2013) was one of the most important Inuit artists in Canada. She designed motifs for both Canadian postage stamps and coins. Her works can be seen in various museums around the world and are valued by collectors. In the film, the artist is around 37 years old. Kenojuak was married at the age of 19 and had three children. She contracted tuberculosis at the age of 25 . When she returned home after spending three years in hospital, her children had since died of infection or food poisoning. Only her husband Johnniebo had survived. The couple had more children, some of whom died in infancy. From 1957 Kenojuak started drawing on paper and gradually achieved great success with her work ( etchings , stone carvings , lithographs ), which is also illustrated by numerous honors . The artist died at the age of 85 from complications from lung cancer .
Awards
The film was nominated at the Academy Awards in 1965 in the "Best Documentary Short" category, but lost to Nine from Little Rock . The film won a BAFTA Award in the “Short Film” category .
Web links
- Eskimo artist Kenojuak in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak on NFB.ca (full original film)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Awards: Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak. In: Internet Movie Database . Retrieved January 22, 2019 .