Indian Cliché [SOLD]

Fritz Scholder was born and raised in the upper midwest, and although he was one quarter Luiseño, he did not identify as a Native American.  After he obtained his Master’s degree, he was hired to teach advanced painting at Santa Fe’s Institute of American Indian Art. It was here, after visiting his students’ homes and  attending their ceremonies, that he began to recognize the need for a modern portrayal of the Native American.  In an effort to break away from the stereotypical, romantic images so popular in the American psyche, Scholder used abstract impressionist images to portray Indian subjects as he believed that they needed to be portrayed: honestly.

James Earl Fraser’s sculpture “End of the Trail” is one of the most instantly recognizable Indian-related artworks.  It was first modeled in 1894 and was followed by more than a century of reproductions, homages and parodies. Whether the intention of the image was to express defeat and despair or resilience and strength, it became a clichéd representation of the American Indian experience.

This is Scholder’s version of End of the Trail and is entitled Indian Cliché. The lithograph is executed in four colors that blend into an explosion of blacks, browns, yellows and oranges. The image, with its expressionist linework and warm colors, is instantly recognizable as a Fritz Scholder composition.  

This lithograph was completed in 1978 in an edition of 50.  This is the artist proof (AP).  It is mounted with its edges exposed, so that the entire image is visible. The lithograph was executed at Tamarind Institute, the renowned lithography workshop in Albuquerque that is affiliated with the University of New Mexico.

Provenance: from the large collection of a Santa Fe resident
Condition: original condition
Recommended Reading: Fritz Scholder Lithographs by Clinton Adams