American Indian Art Essay
October 28, 2018
The following items are from the Denver Art Museum’s online collection. A review and description of the art objects are presented, along with photographs and background about the artists.
The first art object is a miniature wedding jar by Acoma artist Wanda Aragon. The art object is currently not on display at the museum but is found in the online collection. The jar is dated to 1993, made with clay and paint. The object was gifted to the museum by Virginia Vogel Mattern in 2003, after being bought at Santa Fe Indian Market in 1993. It is quite small, which was surprising since the photo does not have any scale reference, but the jar is only 3 ¼ in. tall! On the base of the jar is an inscription: “Dzinats’ituwits’a / W. Aragon / rain cloud design / 1992?” Wedding jars intrigue me since I am recently engaged. The traditions surrounding them are quite sweet, and a simple ceremony where a medicine man blesses the water the night before the wedding, and then the day of, the couple drinks from each side of the jar as a symbol of the couple’s unity and spiritual consummation (Berger, 2012). Many Southwestern communities produce wedding jars, and so it’s no surprise that Aragon chose this style of jar and the unique triangular rain cloud design on the surface. Rain and rain cloud motifs show up in the Southwest’s archaeological record early on, and these cultures have been renowned for their ceramics for centuries. Wanda Aragon, or Dzinats’ituwits’a, is a celebrated artist who specializes in miniature ceramics, making pottery in a traditionalist, sustainable method (Adobe Gallery).
This painting, “O’Keeffee, After Whistler” from 2007 by famous Chippewa artist David Bradley is on display at the Denver Art Museum, in the “Stampede: Animals in Art” exhibit. The painting is rather large at 40 ¼ in by 50in, similar to the Whistler painting’s dimensions. The painting is a take on the infamous painting by James McNeill Whistler from 1871, “Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1” which has since become an American icon and one of the most recognizable paintings ever. The title of Bradley’s interpretation, “O’Keeffee, After Whistler” pays homage to both Whistler and another famous artist, Georgia O’Keeffee. O’Keeffee famously moved to New Mexico for the latter half of her life and drew inspiration from the beautiful state (Georgia O’Keeffee Museum, 2018). What I found intriguing about this painting was not the cat, (seemingly why the painting is in the “Stampede” exhibit), but rather the contrast between O’Keeffee’s conservative, black Victorian style dress and the vibrant colors of the room, the paintings and the flowers. This painting could be interpreted in two ways: one that O’Keeffee and Whistler both represent non-Native American artists while Bradley is known for leading a legislative campaign against fraudulent artists claiming to be Indigenous (Blue Rain Gallery, 2016). Certainly, neither O’Keeffee or Whistler claimed to be Indigenous, but O’Keeffee did draw heavily on New Mexico’s Indigenous people’s art styles. The second interpretation is that Bradley’s painting is a way to honor both famous artists in a whimsical way. The presence of the cat and the outlet under the desk in the bottom half of the frame allow for a gentle, more modern look at both artists.
Bibliography
Accessed October 28, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqYAqAKfKVw.
"David Bradley." Blue Rain Gallery. Accessed October 28, 2018.
https://blueraingallery.com/artists/david-bradley/view-all.
"Miniature Wedding Jar." Denver Art Museum. Accessed October 28, 2018.
https://denverartmuseum.org/object/2003.1020.
"O'Keeffe, After Whistler." Denver Art Museum. Accessed October 28, 2018.
https://denverartmuseum.org/object/2012.315.
"O'Keeffe's New Mexico." Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Accessed October 28, 2018.
https://www.okeeffemuseum.org/installation/okeeffes-new-mexico/.
"Wanda Aragon (1948 – Present) Dzinats'ituwits'a." Adobe Gallery Art of the Southwest Indian
Alexander E Anthony Jr. Accessed October 28, 2018.
https://www.adobegallery.com/artist/Wanda_Aragon_b_1948118162199.
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