Untitled Zia Pueblo Painting of Male and Female Dancers [SOLD]

Velino Herrera or Ma-Pe-Wi was considered to be one of the Pioneer painters of the Rio Grande Valley and a leader in that art movement. He was born in 1902 at Zia Pueblo. Ma-Pe-Wi spent time painting at the School of American Research (SAR) in Santa Fe with his contemporaries Awa Tsireh and Fred Kabotie. He had no formal art training and was extremely proud of the fact that he was self-taught.

Ma-Pe-Wi was known for his flat style, but there were times when he would add a little light shading or paint in full perspective. By the mid-1930s, he depicted various subjects and combined a number of styles in one in his work. His vast repertoire was always changing and growing throughout his career. It was also in the mid-1930s that he became a teacher at the Albuquerque Indian School. Ma-Pe-Wi died in 1973.

This painting depicts two Pueblo dancers. The female dancer is dressed in bright regalia and holding four feathers. The male dancer wears a headpiece that included horns of some kind. His body is painted gray and he carries a rattle and bow that have feathers attached. There is no background and the piece is painted on gray paper. The dancers have soulful and gentle looks upon their faces.

Condition: The painting is in original excellent condition. It is framed and matted in a simple silver aluminum frame. It is signed lower right.

Provenance: ex. coll. California painting collector.