Original Painting “Great Spirit Let My Corn Grow” by Quincy Tahoma [R]

"One of the most dynamic, imaginative, and gifted of Southwest Indian Artists."—Clara Lee Tanner, 1973.

Quincy Tahoma attended the Santa Fe Indian School for four years, from 1936-1940, entering in the seventh grade. He was a student at the same time as Harrison Begay, Pablita Velarde, Geronima Montoya, Andy Tsihnahjinnie, and Gerald Nailor, and studied under the tutelage of Dorothy Dunn at The Studio.

When World War II broke out, he attempted to join the service but an arm that he broke when a youngster, that was never successfully corrected, caused him to be rejected.  He stayed in Santa Fe while his friends served in the military.  This bothered him to some extent.

Tahoma displayed a wide variety of styles in his paintings. He had a "quiet" period, a "peaceful" period and a "violent period." His quiet and peaceful periods were early and late in his career, with his violent period predominating for most of his art life.

Tahoma painted the proud Diné in everyday life on the reservation where he had grown up to the time of leaving for the Santa Fe Indian School at about age 12 or 13. This painting of a Diné man praying for rain for his corn is one very good example of his quiet or peaceful period paintings.

In this painting, Tahoma used harmonious and rich colors in clean-cut and graceful lines, with impeccable draftsmanship. Take note of the burgundy and purple colors of the rock. He was meticulous in his research for subject matter—clothing, landscape, horse features, etc. He was known to paint rather rapidly, but the process of painting was preceded by much thought and research of the subject he had chosen.

Tahoma developed a unique signature for his paintings. In the lower right corner of each painting, he drew a cartouche or small painting reflecting what happened next, following the scene in the present painting. He called this the next chapter. In this painting the cartouche shows the farmer riding away on his horse, having made his plea for rain.  The painting is dated 1953.  It is published in the Quincy Tahoma book on page 131.

Condition: original condition

Provenance:  from the collection of the Adler family of Santa Fe

Recommended Reading:  Quincy Tahoma, The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist by Charnell Havens and Vera Marie Badertscher.