Santa Fe Indian School Studio Painting of Two Deer with Rocks [SOLD]

This painting is part of a collection of ten paintings believed to have been executed in 1943 at The Studio of The Santa Fe Indian School.  The director of The Studio at that time was Geronima Cruz Montoya of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo - formerly San Juan Pueblo.  It is likely that all of the paintings were done in the same class because they were framed in a similar manner. Some of the paintings had writing on cardboard on the back with the date 1943 and the stamp of The Studio at The Santa Fe Indian School.

The young artist, Johnny Toledo, created a piece that is typical of The Studio style, which is characterized by flat figures on a plain background. Dorothy Dunn encouraged her students to paint images that reflected their heritage or things with which they were familiar. 

In this image, two deer are framed by large rocks and they are standing on either side of a tree. It is more three-dimensional than some of the others because the rocks seem to create a sense of depth.

The artist signed his name at the bottom under the tree.

Condition: excellent condition with new mat board and backing and original frame and glass.

Recommended Reading: American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas by Dorothy Dunn.  This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery

Provenance: from a family in Albuquerque who unfortunately did not know its history or provenance.