The Enchanted Owl

Kenojuak Ashevak

1960

Printmaker: Eegyvudluk Pootoogook (1931-2000)

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

A stylized owl with large eyes is depicted against a white background. Radiating lines, in shades of green and dark purple, emanate from behind the owl's head, creating a sunburst effect. A stylized owl with large eyes is depicted against a white background. Radiating lines, in shades of green and dark purple, emanate from behind the owl's head, creating a sunburst effect. For Kenojuak Ashevak, art is an expression of beauty where form takes precedence above all else. In interviews, she frequently expressed that her primary objective as an artist was to create images that inspired happiness in viewers. She looked for inspiration to the graceful form of Arctic birds, particularly snowy owls, and rendered their feathers in elongated and curved lines which radiate outwards from their bodies to fill almost the entire pic