Untitled Patrocino Barela Kneeling Wood Carving [SOLD]

This wood carving by Patrocino Barela appears to be that of a kneeling woman as determined by the long hair and textured manta. Her facial features are exaggerated, as he was known to do. She holds an object in her hands which resembles a flower. The wood is a beautiful rich color. The figure is signed on the underside PAT.BAR.

Patrocino Barela, also known as Patrocinio Barela or Patrociño Barela (ca. 1904-1964), was a self-taught wood carver. Barela was born in the early 1900s, but the exact year is unknown. His mother died early in his life. According to one version of his story, he was at some point found wandering around Denver. Barela did not attend school for more than a few weeks and was not able to write. He worked as a steelworker, miner, railway worker and as a farmhand. In 1930 he married a widow with four children. Eventually, they had three more, giving them seven in total. During the early 1930s, he began creating elegant wood carvings for which he is well known today. Because of the religious nature of his subjects, he was sometimes called a "santero," but he did secular work too. His work was shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York with other artists of the Federal Art Project; he was feted as "a discovery." Barela passed away in 1964.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Untitled Patrocino Barela Kneeling Wood Carving is from the inheritance of a client from California whose parents purchased it in Santa Fe in the 1950s or 1960s.

Recommended Reading: PATROCINIO BARELA Taos Wood Carver by Mildred Crews, Wendell Anderson, and Judson Crews, Publisher: Taos Recordings and Publications, Taos