Original Comanche Painting “Indian Love Call” [SOLD]

Doc Tate Nevaquaya was given the name Joyce Lee Tate Nevaquaya when he was born in 1932 at Apache, Oklahoma.  He had been delivered by a physician named Dr. Joyce, and the family honored the doctor by using Joyce for their son’s first name.  He was nicknamed Doc, most likely because of his relationship to the physician.  He was always known as Doc Tate.  He was orphaned at age 13 and went to live with his grandparents, thus strengthening his relationship with his Comanche heritage.

Doc Tate was a man of many talents.  He was a teacher, minister, lecturer, historian, dancer, composer, singer, flautist, and painter.  His interest in the courting flute—a traditional instrument that is played by many American Indian tribes—began in childhood and eventually became his primary creative interest.  He became an accomplished flautist, instructor, and lecturer and was one of the leaders in a 1970s revival of the courting flute.  Later in life, he would release two recordings of his courting flute compositions.  He also taught his three sons to make and play flutes.

The courting flute is, as its name implies, used during courtship and fertility rituals.  Here, we see a Comanche man wooing a woman with the sounds of his flute. They are adorned beautifully and lit only by a bright full moon.  Tate’s use of the black paper as both the sky and the ground upon which his subjects sit is an interesting choice that makes his subjects more striking.

This painting is not only charming and romantic, it is also skillfully executed.  The artist's use of muted blues, greens and grays makes the sparingly applied bright colors—the moon, the woman’s dress, the feathers—stand out wonderfully.  His affection for this ritual is apparent, and the result is sweet and beautiful.

Condition:  original condition

Provenance: this Original Comanche Painting "Indian Love Call" is from a client from Snohomish, Washington

Recommended Reading: Wyckoff, Lydia (Ed), Visions and Voices: Native American Painting from the Philbrook Museum of Art, 1996