Fritz Scholder “Roll Over Old Blue III” Lithograph [SOLD]

This stone lithograph by Luiseño artist Fritz Scholder is titled “Roll Over Old Blue III”. Its title clarifies that it is the third of three different states, each of which uses a different combination of colors. This state uses only black ink on off-white Buff Arches paper, eschewing the use of bright color in favor of a simple, strong black and white look.

Scholder’s keen eye for color has been widely celebrated, but this piece serves as a reminder that his compositions are equally compelling with or without bright color. Here, Old Blue appears in a thick application of bold black, making a spirited movement with an open mouth. The background around Old Blue has a beautifully foggy look, which becomes thicker in certain areas and almost disappears in others. This piece makes the most of the lithography medium, displaying appealing textural qualities that would not be possible with a brush and canvas.

The print is signed Scholder in lower right and numbered “18/50” in lower left. It is marked with the printer and print shop’s chop marks. A copy of the original print documentation is included. The print is unframed.

Fritz Scholder (1937-2005) was by birth one-quarter Luiseño Indian, a California Mission Tribe. He was born in Minnesota, spent two decades in the Dakotas, and lived in Galisteo, NM, and Scottsdale, AZ.  Scholder came to Santa Fe in 1964 to teach advanced painting and art history at the new Institute of American Indian Arts, a school established by the United States Department of the Interior. He obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Arizona in 1964 before moving to Santa Fe and joining IAIA.  Scholder enjoyed a long and successful career and is regarded today as one of the most innovative and influential Native artists.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Fritz Scholder "Roll Over Old Blue III" Lithograph is from a private Santa Fe collection

Reference: Fritz Scholder Lithographs Text by Clinton Adams

Relative Links: Luiseño Indian, a California Mission Tribe, Santa Fe, paintings, lithographs, Albuquerque, Fritz Scholder, Luiseño Indian Painter