Taos Pueblo Village Scene [SOLD]

Albert Lujan’s Native name is translated as Weasel Arrow.  He generally placed an arrow alongside his name on his canvasses.

Lujan discovered his affinity for art while overseeing the repainting of the Taos Pueblo church about 1915. He borrowed some paints and began sketching a landscape on a piece of cardboard. A passing tourist insisted on buying his first effort and also bought him a set of oil paints and supplies. Soon he mastered the techniques and began painting vignettes of Taos Pueblo, which the tourist found charming and irresistible.

Lujan effectively marketed and promoted his own art by building a curio shop in the front of his house at the pueblo and selling directly to tourists. It was Lujan who talked the pueblo council into charging an admission fee to tourists. At first they were skeptical, but gave him a week to try his hand at it. He returned to the council with a bag full of money. This was in the mid-1930s and Taos Pueblo has charged admission since that time.

Many of Lujan’s paintings were of postcard size. This one is considerably larger—almost 2 feet wide. This must be one of the largest he ever painted. The multi-storied buildings in the foreground are backed by the blue and gold Taos Mountains. One Taoseño is shown climbing the ladder to the left. Another is walking toward the tree. A large horno (outdoor oven) dominates the right side of the painting.

The painting has just been professionally cleaned and is in its original period frame. The artist signed in lower right.

Reference: For a compelling and informative article on Albert Lujan, please see American Indian Art Magazine Volume 25, Number 4, Autumn 2000.