Fortællingen om Kunuk den forældreløse: Kunuk sejrer i piskelegen 1858 - 1860

This is a woodcut print made by Aron from Kangeq, an Inuit artist, sometime before 1869. Its stark black lines on paper are quite different from the colorful world it depicts, where survival depended on intimate knowledge of local materials. Consider the clothing shown: carefully sewn furs, essential for life in Greenland. Making these garments would have been labor-intensive, requiring skillful hunting, tanning, and stitching. The image itself would have been made through a similarly intensive process, carving away the wood to leave only the lines that define the image. This printmaking process would have allowed it to be reproduced many times. Aron and other Inuit artists created these images at a time when their traditional ways of life were under pressure from outside forces. These prints were created as part of a shift in art production tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. Looking closely at the materials and processes used to create this print helps us understand its cultural significance, revealing the stories embedded within its lines.