Three Figure Pueblo Family Painting by Geraldine Gutierrez

Geraldine Gutiérrez: A Legacy of Artistry

This gouache painting on paper by Geraldine Gutiérrez, commissioned in 2008 by esteemed Santa Fe art dealer Dick Howard, represents a significant milestone in her artistic career. Presumed to be her first multi-figure composition, the painting captures a harmonious scene of a family of farmers beneath a radiant sunface. The mother, holding a small bowl of cornmeal, makes an offering for a bountiful harvest. Beside her, the father prepares the soil with a hoe, with seeds ready in his satchel. Central to the composition is a San Ildefonso jar with a ladle, symbolizing Gutiérrez's deep connection to her mother's roots and serving as an offering of water to nourish the new crop.

Born in 1960, Geraldine Gutiérrez is a distinguished painter and potter from New Mexico's Santa Clara Pueblo. Her artistic lineage is profoundly rooted in the traditions of both San Ildefonso Pueblo, her mother's home, and Santa Clara Pueblo, her father's. Although technically affiliated with her mother's pueblo, she resides at Santa Clara, where she continues to produce both stunning blackware pottery and vibrant paintings.

Gutiérrez's paintings are heavily influenced by the work of her uncle, the renowned San Ildefonso painter Gilbert Atencio. While she honors the traditional methods of Pueblo painting, her approach is distinctly her own. She favors depicting dance figures, often without ground lines, and surrounds them with abstract, colorful designs. Her use of color is particularly striking-intense and vibrant, as if applied directly from the paint tubes. Each piece is characterized by a delicate balance of values, fine outlines, and meticulous modeling and shading, resulting in compositions that are both traditional and refreshingly innovative.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Three Figure Pueblo Family Painting by Geraldine Gutierrez is from a collector in California

Recommended Reading: Modern by Tradition: American Indian Painting in the Studio Style by Bruce Bernstein

TAGS: Helen Atencio, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo, Native American Paintings, Gilbert Atencio, Southwest Indian Pottery, Geraldine Gutiérrez