Original Painting of a Pair of Deer Dancers [SOLD]

Romando Vigil was one of the San Ildefonso self-taught artists in the early part of the 20th century. He was a leader within the San Ildefonso Watercolor Movement, a movement that caught fire during 1915 to 1917. It fostered an art form unmatched in the culture history of the world. These men portrayed tribal culture and local wildlife, attaining a flat decorative character, absent of backgrounds and foregrounds, and free of traditional perspective, with an unerring color sense. Their success in their presentations was due to their understanding of the ceremonials they painted because they had participated in them since childhood. They understood the meanings of the symbolism they interpreted.

Vigil left the pueblo and lived in California for many years, yet he continued to paint pueblo images from memory.

He had an interesting life in California. He owned a motel during World War II, and he played bit parts in movies. He appeared in “Texas Ranger” (1929), “Pale Face” with Bob Hope (1937), and “Lone Star” with Clark Gable (1949). He also worked with Walt Disney Studios.

He painted murals while in California, and he was commissioned to paint a mural for the 1933 Exposition of Indian Tribal Arts at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. He is well known for his painting of the “Thunderbird” at the Las Vegas Thunderbird Hotel.

This painting of two pueblo Deer Dancers is one of the finest renditions of this subject we have seen. It was executed in the flat style without background, but a land plane and rainbow were added for color and effect. Vigil’s execution of this painting is flawless. Each line was painted to perfection. Action was given the dancers through their bent over posture, the sticks used as deer forelegs and the raised left legs of the dancers.