Description:
Watercolor on paper. Stamped u.r.: PLANCHE 22.
From: American Indian Painters, Vol. 1, p. 16: Oscar Howe is a member of the great Sioux people, who paints horses based on the ancient tradition. He was born in western South Dakota in 1916, and grew up on the reservation. He attended the Indian school in Santa Fe. It was in New Mexico that his latent artistic talent was brought to the surface. While in the Southwest he finished the mural, "The Sioux Skin Painter" for the Art Building in Gallup. Later, he completed many others. Among the important works of Howe should be mentioned the illustrations he did for the book "The Bringer of the Mystery Dog" by Ann Clark, in the Sioux language. When America entered the war, this son of warriors volunteered. He saw the campaigns of Africa and Europe. In 1948 he was employed by the Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma, to paint fifty plates in color, illustrating the evolution of the American Indian costumes from 1500 to the present. In 1947 he had won the Grand Purchase Prize for his "Dakota Duck Hunt" at Philbrook Art Museum, Tulsa, in competition with the Indian artists of all the United States. It is a beautifully rendered painting of two young hunters hiding behind the reeds and watching the flight of ducks over an inland lake. The old Dakotas were noted for their paintings of horses and battles on deer and buffalo skins. Oscar follows in the old tradition or shall we say, he presents us with his version of the old style and technique. He has also done some interesting wood carving. "The Sioux Battle" is a very recent painting and may be considered as one of his outstanding works. It is a duel between tow warriors on horseback. In color, it is warmer than Howe usually paints. The violence of the circular movement of horses and braves is well controlled and the color harmony adequate. The painting suffers somewhat by too much interest in the rough ground, which tends to divert the attention from the main theme. (Courtesy of the Artist)