Original Cochiti Pueblo Painting of a Ram Dancer [SOLD]

Joe Herrera was born at Cochiti Pueblo into a rich art inheritance through his father’s pueblo of Cochiti and his mother’s pueblo of San Ildefonso and was painting before he entered the Indian School in Santa Fe. His mother, Tonita Peña (QuahAh) gave him thorough training in art techniques.

Herrera admitted he was something of a rebel. He was one of the first of the Indian artists to move away from traditional representational art into the more abstract forms of self-expression. Although Herrera started working actively as a painter again after his retirement, serious eye problems that worsened in 1994 curtailed his work production.

Before Herrera began painting in abstract form, he produced the traditional representational style often referred to as the Dorothy Dunn School style, after the art teacher at the Santa Fe Indian School. According to Clara Lee Tanner, in his execution of single dance figures, there is no competitor for perfection. She stated that often he used a colored paper to complement the tones in which his subjects were painted and that he further enhanced the excellent color contrasts by doing very fine work.

Herrera performed true to tradition in painting this excellent Ram Dancer figure. The pastel colors chosen are soft and strong simultaneously. The detail executed in the finely rendered leggings and head piece is typical of Herrera’s perfection in his work. This is a fine example of his earlier work before he ventured into abstract painting. The painting is signed lower right but not dated. It is in original excellent condition.

The painting has been framed using acid-free materials and museum protective glass and a beautiful simple stepped frame of complimentary color. It is a companion piece to another painting by Herrera which is our item number 25349.