Original Drawing of an Apache Gaan Dancer by Ignatius Palmer

In this work, Palmer presents a masked Mountain Spirit or Gaan Dancer, in mid-performance, one foot lifted in motion as he carries a wand in each hand. The dancer wears a hood marked with small, deliberate brushstrokes to define the eyes and mouth. An intricate wooden headpiece rises from the head, detailed with narrow bands of wood tipped with a feather. His body is painted with designs. Leather strips adorned with feathers hang from each arm. His stance is energetic.

Characteristic of The Studio style, the background is left blank, drawing complete attention to the figure and enhancing the sense of movement and spiritual presence. The painting is signed and dated '75 by Palmer in the lower right corner, standing as a strong example of his refined and culturally rooted approach to Native American painting.

Palmer, a Mescalero Apache born around 1921, began painting as early as 1939 and exhibited actively between the late 1950s and early 1960s. A student of The Studio at the Santa Fe Indian School, he was recognized for his distinctive use of line and angular figures, often described as appearing in motion and full of life.

The famous Santa Fe architect, John Gaw Meem, designed a building in downtown Albuquerque for Maurice Maisel's new trading post and asked Olive Rush to paint murals at the entrance.  She suggested she select Indian artists to paint them.  All selected were from The Studio of the Santa Fe Indian School.  They were Awa Tsireh; Popovi Da and Pop Chalee painted northern Pueblo subjects; Ben Quintana, Ku-Pe-Ru, and Joe Herrera did Keres motifs; Wilson Dewey and Ignatius Palmer added some of the Apache patterns; and Ha-So De and Harrison Begay contributed Navajo ones.  Palmer painted a Gaan Dancer.  The murals still exist on the building.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: this Original Drawing of an Apache Gaan Dancer by Ignatius Palmer is from a private Colorado collection

Recommended Reading: THE PEOPLE CALLED APACHE, written and illustrated by Thomas E. Mails

TAGS: Apache Tribe, Albuquerque, Awa Tsireh, Popovi Da, Pop Chalee, Ben Quintana, Ku-Pe-Ru, Joe Herrera, Wilson Dewey, Ha-So De, Harrison Begay, Navajo Nation, Native American Paintings, Ignatius Palmer