Indian with Red Button [SOLD]

Fritz Scholder (1937-2005) was a contemporary American artist who was by birth one-quarter Luiseño Indian.  He was educated at the University of Arizona, earning an M.F.A. before moving to Santa Fe in 1964 to teach at the Institute of American Indian Arts.  Scholder’s unique artistic voice influenced a generation of Native artists through his artwork and his efforts as an instructor.

In 1970, Scholder signed a contract to create a series of lithographs at Albuquerque’s Tamarind Institute.  He had experimented with lithography in the past with mixed results, and described the process as “laborious and terribly technical.”  Under the guidance of Tamarind’s experienced printers, however, Scholder began to enjoy the lithography process.  His initial suite of lithographs, titled “Indians Forever,” included eight images in a portfolio.  Scholder was invigorated by what was, to him, a new way to create and present his ideas.  

This piece, titled Indian with Red Button, was made at Tamarind in 1972.  Scholder was clearly becoming more comfortable with the lithography process by the time this piece was made, as his images were becoming more confident and expressive.  This image, which was also created in a single-color edition titled Indian with Button, is one of the most simple and effective pieces created during this period.

A thick block of black ink frames and fills in the head and shoulders of an Indian man.  His face appears to be obscured by shadows.  A bright, blood red, which lies below the black ink, fills in the subject’s face and adds texture and depth to the piece.  The subject’s white-striped shirt is actually just the paper upon which the black and red inks sit.  The red peeks out from under the black again around the edges of the image, creating a bright and colorful frame.

This lithograph, which is included on page 80 of Clinton Adams’ Fritz Scholder Lithographs, was completed in September 1972 in an edition of 100 in two colors. This is edition #74 of 100.  It is mounted with its edges exposed.  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