Description:
Watercolor on paper/ Gouache. Signed l.l.: Asah, Stamped u.r.: PLANCHE 13.
From: American Indian Painters, Vol. 1, p. 14: Spencer Asah is fat and round as a sack of grain. His eyes are large and soft as a doe's; his mouth is always smiling - well nearly always. His Indian name "Lollo" which means "Little Boy" fits him perfectly, for, at forty, his face is like that of a dark cherub. He is good natured and kind, so good natured that he overcame his natural indolence and became an artist originally to please the Field Matron. Being jolly and easy going, he was often on the receiving end of horseplay and practical jokes by his colleagues when they were younger. Spencer Asah was born in 1905. His is a pure blood Kiowa, scion of distinguished medicine men. He in turn is now custodian of one of the famous "medicine bundles" of the Kiowas, a responsibility that makes him a little uncomfortable, I believe. Once he showed me a cherished possession, a pictorial calendar of his tribe covering seventy years of Kiowa history. Asah spent his childhood in the usual Indian manner. He attended Saint Patrick's Indian School and showed an early interest in art as well as in dancing. Considering his bulk, he is an amazing good dancer and was an excellent baseball player. He was one of the five original Kiowa art students to come under the influence of the art teachers at the University of Oklahoma. He spent two winters in Norman, but as soon as spring approached, he became restless and disappeared into the unknown. Since none of the original Kiowas had the necessary entrance requirements for University study, they were given instruction rather informally, or shall we say, "illegally". At no time did they attend the art classes. They received criticism and encouragement individually. The aim was to prevent their being "contaminated" with the white man's art. When we finally succeeded in getting the project for the murals at the Federal Building at Anadarko, Asah did part of the panels. He also worked on murals in the Historical Building in Oklahoma City. He taught art for some years. Asah's painting always remained closer to the early tribal tradition than most of the other artists of his tribe. His work has few details and is somewhat angular. It has a decided primitive flavor. The painting "Warrior on Pinto" is an excellent example of his work at the height of his career. All the original modern Kiowa artists worked on colored paper, using the paper as an integral part of their color scheme. Thus the uncompromising black and white of the Indian pony and the warbonnet, and the deep brown of the Indian's body, against a background of sage green, produced a delightful harmony. The "pinto" is archaic and the rider hardly at ease. No matter, the result is entirely satisfying and very Indian. (Collection Oscar Brousse Jacobson)