Pudlo Pudlat

Pudlo Pudlat

Pudlo Pudlat (1916-1992) - Artist Biography

Pudlo Pudlat (1916–1992) was a talented artist born at Ilupirlik, a small camp near Amadjuak, NU, who was later based out of Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU. Considered one of the most original contemporary Inuit artists, Pudlat was known for depicting the transition from traditional nomadic Inuit lifestyles to modern technologies. He started his art practice as a sculptor and eventually began working in painting and drawing. During his lifetime, Pudlat created approximately 4,500 drawings and 190 prints.

While his early works included creatures in addition to humorous combinations of fantasy and reality, Pudlat often depicted imagery of traditional life merged with modern technology. His subjects ranged from helicopters, planes, angels and churches to animals and scenes of summer camps. “At times when I draw, I am happy, but sometimes its very hard,” Pudlat stated in the 1978 Cape Dorset print catalogue. “I have been drawing for a long time now, I only draw what I think, but sometimes I think the pencil has a brain too." Pudlat’s work blended traditional and modern worlds, breaking down preconceptions of northern life and conveying a deep sense of harmony in their negotiations.

Pudlat was the first Inuit artist to be honoured with a retrospect of his work at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, ON, titled Pudlo: Thirty Years of Drawing from 1990 to 1991. Many of his pieces are still showcased there today and held in major collections in Vancouver, BC, Toronto, ON, Montreal, QC, and the United States. In addition, Pudlat’s prints featured prominently in the Cape Dorset Annual Print Collections and the print Flight to Sea (1985) was featured in the Vancouver Exposition in 1986 as well as in his solo show at the National Gallery of Canada. Pudlat’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions in Canada, the United States and Europe, including at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in Manitoba, Albert Gallery in San Francisco, CA, and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, ON, among many others.

-Bio courtesy of the Inuit Art Foundation

Selected Solo Exhibitions:

2015: Embassy of Canada, Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin, Germany
1995: Pudlo: Original Drawings, Albers Gallery, San Francisco, California
1994 Pudlo Pudlat aus Cape Dorset, Inuit Galerie, Mannheim, Germany
1993 Pudlo Pudlat: A Meeting of Cultures, McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Kleinburg, Ontario
1993 Pudlo: Original Drawings, Albers Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA
1990 Pudlo: Thirty Years of Drawing, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario 1990 Pudlo Pudlat Drawings 1959-1990, Ufundi Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
1990 Pudlo Pudlat Retrospective, Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, Montreal
1987 Drawings by Pudlo of Cape Dorset, The Innuit Gallery of Eskimo Art, Toronto, Ontario
1981 Pudlo Pudlat – Arctic Landscapes, Theo Waddington, New York, New York, U.S.A.
1980 Pudlo Pudlat – Ten Oversize Works on Paper, Theo Waddington, New York, New York, U.S.A.
1978 Pudlo Pudlat – Acrylic Paintings, Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec

Selected Collections:
Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario
Art Gallery of York University, Downsview, Ontario
Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, New Brunswick
CIBC Collection, Toronto, Ontario
Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec, Montreal, Quebec
Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, Quebec
Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta
John and Mary Robertson Collection, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, ON
Klamer Family Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
McMaster University Art Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchwan
Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
Museum of Modern Art, New York City, N.Y., U.S.A.
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario
Toronto-Dominion Bank Collection, Toronto, Ontario
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta
University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.
University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
York University, Toronto, Ontario

Artistic Technique: Pudlo's early drawings are simple outlines made with lead pencil. In the mid-1960s, Pudlo began to work with coloured pencils and felt-tipped pens, and his compositions became more elaborate. Just for the fun of it, Pudlo would sometimes add decorative elements to his animal figures and create imaginary scenes. Pudlo welcomed the influx of modem life into the Arctic. He became fascinated by airplanes, which he adopted as one of his preferred subjects, often in fanciful guise. At his death in 1992, Pudlo left a body of work that included more than 4000 drawings and 200 prints. His compositions are marked by surprising juxtapositions and indications of a subtle sense of humour.