Encarnacion Peña Very Early Painting of Snow Bird Dancers

Encarnacion Peña: An Early Masterwork

This painting of two Snow Bird Dancers is a remarkable example of the early career of Encarnacion Peña (ca. 1902-1979), a distinguished artist from San Ildefonso Pueblo.

Peña's artistic life was split into two distinct periods. He was an active painter in the 1920s and 1930s before taking a long break to farm and raise his family. He resumed painting only briefly in the early 1970s. I was fortunate to meet him in 1978 when he visited the gallery and acquired several of his works over the next year before his passing in 1979.

The Significance of His Early Style

This piece is certainly a work from his first period. Unlike his later paintings, which are known for a bold, primitive, and brightly colored folk art style, his early work — like this one — is more aligned with the realistic, soft-toned aesthetic of his San Ildefonso contemporaries.

The two male dancers are presented in a naturalistic form, both facing to their right. The palette is notable for its soft, warm colors, including a gentle pink for the shirts — a hue Peña did not use in his later compositions. Details like the evergreen ruffs around their necks are rendered with delicate realism, and each man is traditionally dressed with a woven red sash draped over his right shoulder.

Preservation and Provenance

The painting was originally signed and titled by the artist. Unfortunately, a previous acidic mat caused damage, marring the signature and title along the edges. To preserve the artwork, the owner had it professionally reframed with a new, acid-free mat. This process overlaid the previous mat marks and the damaged signature to protect the visible image. Critically, all information from the original signature and title has been photographed and affixed to the back of the framed painting to maintain complete provenance.

The information on the painting that is concealed by the mat reads as follows:
Encarnacion Peña
San Ildefonso
Snow Bird Dance
$30.00

Condition: the painting is in good condition with acidic marks covered by the mat

Provenance: this Encarnacion Peña Very Early Painting of Snow Bird Dancers is from a client of Adobe Gallery

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

TAGS: Native American Painting, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Tonita Peña, Richard Martínez, Luís Gonzales, Abel Sánchez, Romando Vigil, Tonita Peña, Dorothy Dunn, José Encarnacion Peña