Ohkay Owingeh Original Painting “Game of Plenty” [SOLD]

Geronima Cruz Montoya (P´otsúnú) began assisting Dorothy Dunn at the Santa Fe Indian School in 1937. She had previously been a student of Dunn's and continued to set high standards for her students just as Dunn had. She encouraged her students to paint subjects from their homes and cultures. Montoya's influence on early Indian painters was significant. She was dedicated to her students and their work. Under her tutelage, many of her students went on to become famous.

Because teaching was her first priority, Montoya did not paint often. When she did, she preferred to paint with earth colors and paint traditional pueblo motifs.

This painting of petroglyph-style art is an excellent example of her talent as an artist.  Each animal is rendered in a soft palette with muted tones and each animal is vibrant, yet static.  She beautifully represented the cave art of her predecessors.

The painting was rendered in casein on art paper.  It is signed and dated 1967.  The mat-board has been changed to an acid-free one and the painting put back in the original frame.

Condition:  The painting appears to be in original condition

Provenance: from the collection of Katherine H. Rust

Recommended Reading: "The Worlds of P´otsúnú: Geronima Cruz Montoya of San Juan Pueblo" by Jeanne Shutes and Jill Mellic