(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Indians 101: Some 1930s works by Sioux artist Oscar Howe (museum tour) [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-27 According to art historian Joy Gritton, in her book The Institute of American Indian Arts: Modernism and U.S. Indian Policy: “Class work included sketching pictographic figures and free-line brush practice. Borrowing of motifs or styles from other tribal groups or from non-Indian sources was discouraged.” In an article in American Indian Art, Vera Marie Badertscher and Charnell Havens report: “She borrowed books and historic objects from museums, took students on trips to the Laboratory of Anthropology and the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe and brought in non-Indian lecturers to teach her students about their own heritage.” Jay Scott (1989: 31), in his biography of Tewa artist Helen Hardin, Changing Woman: The Life and Art of Helen Hardin, says of Dunn: “…in the spirit of accommodation but never of assimilation, she set out to maintain Indians as separate but equal, and to encourage the exploitation of what she defined as Native tradition.” This experimental art program, later referred as The Studio, is instrumental in the education of many Indian artists, including Sioux artist Oscar Howe, who enrolled in the program in 1934. In a special exhibit, Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe, organized organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Portland Art Museum, more than forty years Oscar Howe’s career is presented. Shown below are some of his works from the 1930s. Shown above is Sioux Grass Dancer, ca. 1934-38. Gouache on bristol board. According to the museum: “This early figure demonstrates Howe’s interest and extraordinary skill in depicting fine detail, especially in the featherwork. The hint of a landscape, indicated by a horizontal line, grounds the dancer balancing on one foot.” Shown above is Sioux Ceremonial, 1937. Gouache on paper. Shown above is Untitled (Sioux Dancers), ca. 1934-38. Tempera on paper. Shown above is Blue Antelope, ca. 1934-38. Gouache on bristol board. According to the museum: “The minimal reference to landscape in this tender depiction of an antelope is depicted by a series of gradient blue lines beneath the animal’s delicate legs, a nod to his use of fine lines and color in later abstract works.” Shown above is Hunter’s Dream, ca. 1934-38. Watercolor on paper. Detail from Hunter’s Dream Detail from Hunter’s Dream Shown above is Sioux Water Boy, ca. 1939. According to the museum: “This painting captures Howe’s emerging fascination with unconventional perspectives and anatomy, the back and neck in particular. He depicts a seated water carrier from behind, the contours of his arms carefully outlined. The small figure in the background and symbolic representation of a bird give a sense of distance and perspective the counters the Studio’s approach.” More American Indian Art Indians 101: Caddo artist Raven Halfmoon (museum tour) Indians 101: Glass art by Marcus Amerman with Preston Singletary (museum tour) Indians 101: Glass Art by Northwest Native Carvers and Weavers (Art Diary) Indians 101: Reborn Rez Wrecks (museum tour) Indians 101: Contemporary American Indian Art (museum tour) Indians 101: Exploring Glass Art by Native Artists (Art Diary) Indians 101: Sunflower by Walla Walla artist James Lavadour (museum tour) Indians 101: Contemporary Indian animal art (museum tour) [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/27/2165832/-Indians-101-Some-1930s-works-by-Sioux-artist-Oscar-Howe-museum-tour Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/