Multistoried Taos Pueblo by Looking Elk [SOLD]

Very few early native painters chose to work in the white man’s oil paints and produce art in the European style. Those who did found that their work was dismissed during their lifetimes for not being “Indian” enough.  Three Taos Pueblo Indians did paint in the style of the famous Taos artists and were certainly influenced to do so by those Anglo artists.  Albert Looking Elk Martinez, Albert Lujan, and Juan Mirabal were the three.

The artwork of Looking Elk was conventional in design and content and interpreted everyday scenes at the pueblo in naturalistic style. The informal, unschooled and realistic approach of the artist to his themes and subject matter defied contemporary notion of “Indian” art before World War II.

When Looking Elk was 12 years old, he began posing for artist Oscar Berninghaus. It is evident that over the years of posing for Berninghaus, he developed a curiosity about the process of oil painting. Berninghaus presented him with a complete set of oil paints and brushes as a Christmas present one year. Undoubtedly, Berninghaus instructed him in the use of the paints.

This painting is typical of Looking Elk’s style. It is a view of Taos Pueblo with the majestic Taos Mountains in the background.  Few of his paintings had people in them but this one has two women and several clothes lines of colorful clothing.  Many of his paintings were of post card size and some were actually stamped and sent through the mail! This one is slightly larger.  The painting is signed Looking Elk in lower right.

Condition: It is in excellent condition and has just been professionally cleaned.  It is in the original frame.

Recommended Reading: Taos Pueblo Painters Exhibit Sheds Light on Forgotten Artists by Elmo Baca. Published in New Mexico Magazine, January 2000.

Provenance: from a gentleman in Kentucky