Description:
Watercolor on paper. Stamped u.r.: PLANCHE 42.
From: American Indian Painters, Vol. 2, p. 5: James Humetewa is a member of the younger set of Hopi painters whose work is receiving considerable notice among people interested in Indian art. He was born in that wonder country, east of the Grand Canyon and spent his childhood in Tuba City and Moenkopi, Arizona. James is a shy and modest young fellow who has dreams in his eyes. He secured a position at the Museum of Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In his spare time, he paints horses, deer, and the masked members of the religious societies of his people. In a general way his technique resembles that of the older Hopi artists like Kabotie and Polelonema. He devotes considerable attention to the modelling of the figures. Though still a youngster, he has already exhibited his work in many states. He will undoubtedly be heard from in years to come. The Katchinas are divinities in the Hopi pantheon. The priest here personifies the Spirit of Tunwup, who appears in the Powamu Ceremonial, and is assigned to flog children who have been naughty in the previous months. The kilt is a fringe of red horse hair. The whips are the hard leaves of the yucca. The body is painted black and the head adorned with horns on each side. (Collection, Oscar Brousse Jacobson)