Emeliano Yepa, Jemez Pueblo Painter

The plan for a painting studio at the Santa Fe Indian School had been four years in the making before it finally opened in the fall of 1932.  Dorothy Dunn was in charge of the art department.  It was in the second year of The Studio that Dorothy Dunn first mentioned Emeliano Yepa and she described him as painting pageantry.  He was one of three students selected to paint murals in true fresco for The Studio and one of the residence halls.  One of the mural paintings by Yepa was "A Summer Dance" (Corn Dance).

In the fourth year (1935-36), a Museum of New Mexico exhibit was organized to present to the public works by the students.  Frederic H. Douglas's review of the show included the following statement "Much fine art will come from this area, with its strong tradition in painting. No.125 by E. Yepa, displays the work of a painter who clings, at least in his pictures, to a style seen in the first days of the movement.  His conservatism is to be commended, for while progress is desirable, a brake is often useful."

An analysis of the works of all the students in the fifth year (1936-37) stated of Yepa "Emeliano Yepa had a somewhat stilted style which enhanced the formal patterns of ceremonial and small Jemez scenes he chose to paint.  His brilliant palette brought animation and a note of daring to his balanced, conservative compositions."

The last mention of Emeliano Yepa (c.1920s- c.1950s) by Dorothy Dunn, in her book published in 1968, stated that "Emiliano Yepa, another fine artist of Jemez, is no longer living."  There was no date given for his death.   Jeanne Snodgrass, in her Biographical Directory published in 1968 lists the artist as Emilina rather than Emeliano but has no information regarding birth, death, or age.  She states that the artist attended the Indian School from 1932 to 1937 and was included in a National Gallery of Art exhibit in Washington, DC in 1953.

A client of the gallery relayed some information to us regarding the artist.  He said that Emeliano married the sister of Larua Gachupin's father, making him Laura Gachupin's uncle.  He also told us that Emeliano was listed in the 1940 United States census.

Reference and Recommended Reading:  American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas by Dorothy Dunn

TAGS: Jemez Pueblo; Native American Paintings