Eskimo Fairy Tales Fantasy

A young Eskimo child is depicted at the precise moment before he/she launches an arrow to the sun. According to Eskimo lore, the concept has deep symbolic meaning. To the viewer, the image has a luminous exoticism with the subject dressed in a traditional costume. It is masterfully rendered in a post-impressionist style, with soft, pulsating, dreamy colors evocative of fantasy. The highly polished composition is eye-catching, based on a strong diagonal movement and precise cropping. It looks better in person.
Unsigned, unframed. Work is executed on thin cardboard glued to a heavier illustration board. It was done on assignment for an Italian book on Eskimo Fairy Tales.


Giovanni "Gianni" Benvenuti (26 June 1926 – 15 September 2005),[1] commonly known as Benvenuti,[A] was an Italian artist[2][3] whose career spanned multiple decades and diverse art forms, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, illustration, and cartooning.[3][4] His work earned recognition across Europe and the United States.[5] He is best known for his work as an illustrator of children's books, having done illustrations for classics such as Grimms' Fairy Tales,[6] Winnie the Pooh,[7] and Mother Goose.

Benvenuti is recognized as a significant figure in 20th-century Italian art. His work, encompassing painting, sculpture, printmaking, illustration, and cartooning, has been exhibited in major galleries across Italy, France, and the United States.[5] His pieces are held in private collections and museums, including the Museum of Modern Italian Art in Milan.[5] Following his death in 2005, Benvenuti's wife, Elfie Harris, initiated plans to establish a museum in their former studio in Germantown, Philadelphia, to honor his work