Kasudluak was born, raised and lived in a northern village on the Hudson Bay next to the mouth of Innuksuak River, called Inukjuak, Quebec. The cultural magazine of the Nunavik Inuit, "Tumivut" (Edition 12, 2000) published: "The Encyclopedia of Peter Kasudluak, Excerpt from Notebook 4." The extended article told the tales of hunting and butchering caribou, seals and foxes on the Arctic tundra. These animals were used for food and clothing and were important sustenance during the long winters. Therefore, Kasudluak had a first hand knowledge of the animals he carved.
Kasudluak frequently used indigenous serpentine stone that is very heavy and connected to the iron silicate family, as in the case of the Walrus Seal below. Kasudluak, a part-time and self-taught artist, captured the stylized curvilinear abstraction mixed with elements of primitive carving. In this regard, Kasudluak takes on the same elements as Britain's most famous sculptor - Henry Moore. Kasudluak's stone sculptures are similar to Moore's early sculptures, as they both started with a larger stone, working with the raw material, they both transformed the stone into stylized smooth polished organic shapes.
In Kasudluak's seal, he used curvilinear striations in the stone to map out the figure. Then he carved the seal's eyes, nose, mouth as well as the seal's beard, creating anthropomorphic elements that gave the seal personality. Kasudluak's sculpture shows the seal's volume with fin like flipper feet and tail. He signed the sculpture with his disk number/signature: E9-777 and Peter. Seals and ducks were frequent subject matters that he produced.
Kasudluak was a respected Elder who wrote several biographical notebooks that are archived at the Avataq Cultural Institute, Inukjuak. Whereas I am sure that Kasudluak never planned to be a part of Canadian history, his life and artwork has been recorded and documented for future generations. Today, examples of his artwork are included in McCord Museum, Montreal and the Winnipeg Art Gallery collections, and occasionally, his work still appears in Canadian art auctions and galleries that promote indigenous artists.
Kasudluak frequently used indigenous serpentine stone that is very heavy and connected to the iron silicate family, as in the case of the Walrus Seal below. Kasudluak, a part-time and self-taught artist, captured the stylized curvilinear abstraction mixed with elements of primitive carving. In this regard, Kasudluak takes on the same elements as Britain's most famous sculptor - Henry Moore. Kasudluak's stone sculptures are similar to Moore's early sculptures, as they both started with a larger stone, working with the raw material, they both transformed the stone into stylized smooth polished organic shapes.
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| Stone Seal Carving by Peter Kasudluak Signed: E9-777 Peter |
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| Carving by Peter Kasudluak Curvilinear Abstract Seal Sculpture |
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