Description

Description: This wonderfully stylized painting on board has a circular motion as eagles encircle a deer offset by tendrils of leaves. Signed lower left: “Pablita Velarde”.

There is a handwritten note affixed to verso from the original owner who bought the painting directly from the artist. It states: “This is an ‘Earth Painting’ by Pablita Velarde an Indian from Santa Clara Pueblo, living at 805 Adams St. N.E. Albuquerque, New Mexico. As she explained it to me (April 13, 1960) the dark gray is from mountain ‘dirt’ near Santa Clara canyon; the light gray in the skyline from pumice from the same canyon; the pink is hard clay from Cuba, New Mexico; the brown from the mesa at Tijueras Canyon; the black is coal from northern New Mexico; the white on the deer is gypsum from White Sands; the light blue in the plants is sandstone from Jamey, MT.”

14″ x 11″, framed to: “16” x 13″. Item #FA00406

Pablita Velarde [born Tse Tsan] (1918-2006), was one of the first women trained at Dorothy Dunn’s Santa Fe Studio School. She was, during the early 1940’s, commissioned through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to paint numerous murals. Her works are in the collections of such notable institutions as: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Bandelier National Monument Museum, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.

Condition: A few spots of soil, especially visible in light areas. Otherwise very good.