A.L. Gorbunkov and Iconographic Sources of the Walrus Ivory Carving Art of the Chukchi and Asian Eskimos in the First Third of the 20th Century

This article traces the history of the establishment and development of the walrus ivory carving art of the Chukchi and Asian Eskimos through the lens of the question of “the far” and “the near”. This question is examined based on a range of sources used by A.L. Gorbunkov, the first art director of ivory carving workshops in Chukotka, during his interaction with local artists. The novelty of the research topic and the introduction of Gorbunkov’s diary entries into scientific circulation prove the relevance of the selected problem, which has not been sufficiently covered in the research literature before. Revealing the materials of the former Scientific Research Institute of Art Industry (NIIKhP), the author attempts to consider the process of the establishment and development of the walrus ivory carving arts and crafts of Chukotka in the first third of the 20th century not in isolation but holistically, taking into account the cultural and historical context and the experience gained by the experts of NIIKhP by the 1930s. The analysis of “the far” (pictures and ornaments on various ritual objects or household items, ancient petroglyphs on a site close to Pegtymel, drawings on walrus skins, materials of ethnographic expeditions, folklore of the peoples of the Far North) and “the near” (among which is the sculpture of American Eskimos and works by a number of American and European artists) origins of the walrus ivory carving art of Chukotka in the 1930s allows representing the genesis of the Chukchi and Asian Eskimo handicraft in the first third of the 20th century and demonstrating the correlation of traditions and innovations in the new phase of this craft. The complex tasks of the research condition the use of the historical, cultural, and chronological approach, the comparative method and formal stylistic analysis. The author comes to the conclusion about the important role of Gorbunkov in the successful combination of traditional and modern trends in the art form under research: based on national artistic practices, Gorbunkov updated the assortment and themes of ivory carving products in accordance with the new demands of the epoch.