Dancing Bear, 1990 by Nalenik Temela (1939-2003), Inuit

Dancing Bear, 1990Nalenik Temela (1939-2003)Kimmirut, Nunavut, Canadasoapstone18" high x 16" wide x 8" deepThis joyful Dancing Bear is one of Nalenik Temela’s finest. The bear is large and massively heavy, but visually the work is broken up into smaller rhythmic units because of the textural changes, and our eyes are also drawn around the work because of its lovely sinuous outline. Nalenik has an eye for balance and proportion. One of Nalenik’s trademarks is the crisp, almost angular treatment of the bear’s fur that runs down the animal’s neck; the beautiful S-curve adds a playful dimension. Nalenik’s treatment of smaller details such as the bear’s claws and its creased snout are also highly distinctive. Nalenik Temela was born on the land near Kimmirut (Lake Harbour), Nunavut, Canada in 1939. He began carving in the mid 1950s at the age of fifteen, and likely created small ivories for the first few years. By the late 1960s he was carving larger stone sculptures, mostly depictions of b