18" Jolly Bear by Master Jaco Ishulutaq

Inuit Art: Dancing Bear
Artist: Jaco Ishulutaq
Dimensions: 18" tall, 16" across, 12" deep. Weight: 58 lbs
Community: Kimmirut, NU
Stone: Serpentine
id: caps-852003210gejjy

** This item is Eligible for Layaway Plan

***Museum quality piece****

Jaco has earned his ranking as one of the top five Master carvers of his generation. His pieces have a dynamic life force; this gives them the appearance of constant movement. Jaco’s capacity to bring his carvings to life is a testament to his many talents as one of the greatest carvers of our time.

Jaco has global acclaim. His pieces have toured the world and are exhibited in countless publications, Inuit art journals, art exhibitions and museums.

“Jolly Bear” is an exceptional sculpture.

The gorgeous black stone intermixed with copper and orange hues, explodes with colour and depth. And in the midst of this explosion, this very large bear appears to be falling backward and kicking his leg with all his might to propel himself forward!! He swings his arms in an effort to maintain his balance. Jolly bear is eternally caught ... between falling backward and regaining his balance. Dancing bears are extremely difficult to carve as the bear must balance on one limb. I can’t recall seeing a dancing bear of this size positioned in such an extreme backward angle.

This is the genius of Jaco Ishulutaq! The spectacular stone, the dynamic posture of the large body and the bear’s facial expression are the reasons that this carving is a Masterpiece.

This piece is reminiscent of one of our favourite pieces in the gallery which also happens to be a Jaco sculpture. It was a jolly and giant Eskimo we named “Andre the Giant”. Both of these sculptures could be the main character in a fairy tale. It takes an exceptional artist like Jaco to carve magic and happiness into stone.

Joly Eskimo

As soon as I saw this beautiful joly bear, I did not hesitate for a second.