San Ildefonso Pueblo Painting of Hopi Butterfly Dance by Gilbert Atencio [SOLD]

This beautiful watercolor painting was created by San Ildefonso Pueblo artist Gilbert Atencio.  His works, while almost always traditional as far as subject matter goes, are instantly recognizable because of his exceptional technical abilities and keen eye for detail.  This 1955 painting of two pueblo dancers is no exception.  The dancers look about as real as is possible with watercolors.  Atencio honors the traditional style by focusing on the dancers and their clothing and expands on the style by successfully adding depth and detail.

Atencio’s male figure, pictured in the foreground and on the left, dances in his traditional clothing.  He carries a rattle and an evergreen bough, and every detail of his clothing is presented with incredible accuracy.  The female dancer, pictured on the right and a bit further back, dances directly toward the viewer.  She, too, is depicted with great care.  Her large tableta is exceptional.  Despite her eyes being obscured by her headpiece, it is apparent that she dances with intention.  Atencio’s color palette here is large and varied.  His efforts to portray his subjects with accuracy and sensitivity were, as usual, successful.  This wonderful painting, completed when the artist was just 25 years old, will delight collectors with an appreciation for traditional Pueblo imagery.

A friend from San Ildefonso Pueblo wrote to us to identify the dance and share his memories of its appearance: "That is a beautiful painting of the 'Hopi Butterfly'. I remember as a kid the Hopis danced here in San Ildefonso when First Lady Bird Johnson visited our pueblo. She was given pottery by several potters. We also gave her drawings at the Day school. Ladies society performed it here, but a fire destroyed the tablitas and they were never replaced."

The painting is signed “Gilbert Atencio” and dated ‘55 in lower right.  It is framed under acrylic in a simple wood frame, with white matting that includes a thin band of color.

Gilbert Atencio (1930-1995) Wah Peen attended the Santa Fe Indian School, graduating in 1947.  By the time he was twenty, he had exhibited at the Santa Fe Museum, the Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial, various Albuquerque venues, and the Philbrook Art Center in Oklahoma.  By the time he reached 19 years of age, he had been awarded six first prizes, six second prizes and five third prizes. Atencio's family included four siblings, one of whom was well-known Santa Clara Pueblo potter Helen Gutierrez.  His parents were Isabel Montoya (1899-1996) and Benjamin Atencio (? -1963). His grandmother and Maria Martinez's mother were sisters. His niece is Geraldine Gutierrez, who is a painter and potter from Santa Clara Pueblo.

Atencio will certainly be recognized as one of the finest pueblo painters of the second half of the 20th century—not only from San Ildefonso Pueblo, but among all pueblo painters.  His attention to detail was unequalled. A professional medical illustrator at Los Alamos National Labs, Atencio carried his precise drawing and painting skills over to his fine art paintings.  His crisply drawn and clearly colored renderings of ceremonial and home life have, since around 1947, been favorites in many shows. Much of Atencio’s inspiration for paintings came from stories his aunts told him about their lives. His style varied from the traditional flat style done early in his career, to more realistic paintings done later in his career.  Atencio passed away in 1995 and remains highly regarded by scholars and collectors.

Condition: good condition, with a few small stains and abrasions that are only visible when the painting is inspected up close

Provenance: this San Ildefonso Pueblo Painting of Hopi Butterfly Dance by Gilbert Atencio is from a West Coast collection

Relative Links: Native American Paintings, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Isabel M. Montoya, Maria Martinez, Gilbert Atencio, Wah Peen