When Charlie Tookaluk from Umiujaq chose sobriety in 2020, he also picked up a paintbrush. “I saw many images of different art styles of Mona Lisa, I was thinking of painting the Mona Lisa as an Inuk.” He completed Inuk Mona Lisa in November 2021, followed by Inuit Gothic, his take on the iconic couple, in 2023. Tookaluk had previously taken a painting class at John Abbott College in Montreal and later refreshed his skills on his own in Toronto in 2019. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Tookaluk)
Did he also paint the landscape behind his head?
this is great, i’d buy the inuk mona lisa to hang on my wall, it’s fun.
While I appreciate the creativity behind blending cultural elements, it’s important to recognize that the Mona Lisa is not just any painting—it’s a cornerstone of European art with its own profound cultural significance. Repurposing it in a way that may stray from its original intent is cultural appropriation, particularly as it trivializes its significance.
It’s also a double standard. If European artists were to similarly reinterpret an iconic Inuit artwork, it would likely face widespread criticism rather than praise.
The only compelling point here was your last one, that “if European artists were to similarly reinterpret an iconic Inuit artwork, it would likely face widespread criticism…”
Agreed, there would be no end to the histrionic non-sense.
That said, your suggestion that the above work trivializes the original is just that, histrionic non-sense. It does absolutely nothing at all to diminish the original, the idea that it does is a fabrication entirely of your own making.
how can i buy?
Good painting Charlie Boy. BOY SCOUTS SALUTE.