Percy Sandy Original Painting labeled “Mare and the Lighting” [SOLD]

This original painting of a horse was created by Zuni Pueblo artist Percy Sandy.  Sandy’s brilliant blue and white horse strikes a dramatic pose atop a small hilltop as desert winds blow its mane to a near-horizontal state.  Four lightning bolts move diagonally across an otherwise empty sky, and a series of jagged lines forms a distant mountain range.

Those who are familiar with Sandy’s work will recognize that, stylistically, this is an unusual piece.  Sandy’s paintings have a distinctive look, and this piece varies quite a bit from his established style.  We’d suggest that the influence of Diné artists is evident in both the composition of the horse and the environment in which it is placed.  The horse, with its muscular body and expressive face, is reminiscent of those created by Quincy Tahoma.  The mountains and hilltop are formed by groups of parallel lines, in which colors fade from dark to light, creating an appealing depth.  This is a very Diné touch, as is the small pebble-dotted hilltop upon which the horse stands.  That Sandy was able to create such an attractive work in this style is most impressive.

The painting is signed Kai Sa in lower right.  It was recently reframed using archival materials in black and off-white.  A handwritten text on the back reads “‘Mare & the Lighting’, by = Percy Sandy, Taos Pueblo, Taos New Mexico, Tribe = Zuni, Indian Name = Kai-Sa (Red Moon)”.  We assume that the intended title was “Mare & the Lightning”, but we choose to publish the title as it appears on the painting.

Percy Tsisete Sandy (1918-1974) Kai-Sa - Red Moon was born at Zuni Pueblo in 1918. He later moved from Zuni to Taos, due to internal conflicts connected to his depiction of sensitive religious subjects. He died in Taos in 1974.  Kai-Sa attended elementary and secondary schools of the village of Zuni, then went on to Santa Fe to take a year’s postgraduate work in art at the Santa Fe Indian School.  Kai-Sa was surely influenced while at the Indian School in Santa Fe, whether by artists he encountered there or by paintings he saw there.  Navajo (Diné) influence is seen in some of his paintings, and the influence of Taos artist Pop Chalee is evident in some of his works. He has used Hopi and Rio Grande Puebloan styles as well as Navajo (Diné) and Apache.

Condition: good condition with a few very small discolorations

Provenance: this Percy Sandy Original Painting labeled "Mare and the Lighting" is from the collection of a family from Tennessee

Recommended Reading: SOUTHWEST INDIAN PAINTING a changing art by Clara Lee Tanner

Relative Links: Zuni Pueblo, Taos, Diné of the Navajo Nation, Native American Paintings, Pop Chalee Hopi Pueblo, Apache, Percy Sandy, Zuni Pueblo Painter