Original Painting of Corn and Rainstorm [SOLD]

This original painting was created in 1978 by Hopi artist Milland Lomakema. With this piece, Lomakema used an agricultural scene and fertility symbols to depict new life. We have heard a number of Native artists refer to their artworks as having been made to simultaneously give thanks for that which has been received and pray for more to be given. This piece, with its themes of life, health, and abundance, was likely made with similar intentions.

Lomakema used simple, strong forms for this composition. A central rainstorm element occupies much of the image, opening up to send a wide wash of purple and white to nourish all that waits down below. A palette of green, yellow, purple, and orange tones feels appropriately lively for the subject matter, and the composition feels every bit as natural as that which it depicts.

The painting is signed and dated 78 in lower right. It is framed under glass in a carved wood frame.

Milland Lomakema (1941-2021) Dawakema was a member of the Artist Hopid, a group organized in 1973 by Hopi artists Michael Kabotie, Terrance Talaswaima, and Neil David, Sr. The objectives of the group were to use Hopi art to instill pride and identity, to educate the world to the aesthetic and cultural values of the Hopi, to develop new ideas in Hopi art, to control the aesthetic for Hopi art, and to document Hopi history through the visual arts. Lomakema was a self-taught artist with no formal training in the arts, although he attended several schools over the years. In the late 1950s, he traveled with an education tour group throughout the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the mid-1960s, he worked with a detective agency in Phoenix, then he joined the Hopi police force in 1968, during which time he devoted most of his spare time to painting. He won first place in the Heard Museum's National Indian Art Show in 1968 for one of his paintings. He continued to receive recognition and awards for his work, and is today considered to be an important part of an influential group of artists.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Original Painting of Corn and Rainstorm is from the collection of a Dr. Lowell Bean, a notable California-based anthropologist, professor, and writer

Reference: Kachinas: a Hopi artist’s documentary by Barton Wright

TAGS: Kachina – Katsina Doll, Hopi Pueblo, Milland Lomakema, Michael Kabotie, Terrance Talaswaima, Neil David, Sr., Native American Painting