Indians With Umbrellas - Indians Forever Suite [SOLD]

Fritz Scholder was a contemporary American artist who was by birth one-quarter Luiseño Indian, a California Mission Tribe. He was born in Minnesota, spent two decades in the Dakotas, and lived in Galisteo, NM and Scottsdale, AZ. Scholder came to Santa Fe in 1964 to teach advanced painting and art history at the new Institute of American Indian Arts, a school established by the United States Department of the Interior. He had obtained a Masters of Fine Arts degree at the University of Arizona in 1964 before moving to Santa Fe and the Institute.

In the summer of 1970, a company named Tamarind moved to Albuquerque from Los Angeles. It was already well known as America's foremost lithographic workshop for a decade by then. In Albuquerque it was housed in a building adjacent to the campus of the University of New Mexico. Once established in New Mexico, Tamarind selected Fritz Scholder as its first New Mexico artist to produce lithographs at its new facility.

Scholder had a long, productive and very successful career with Tamarind. Over several years, he produced 92 lithographs at Tamarind.  Lithography was well suited to Scholder’s talents and he rapidly won international acclaim for his work in that medium.  

This lithograph, entitled "Indians with Umbrellas," was completed in March 1971 as a part of his Indians Forever suite.  Here, Scholder uses four colors: yellow, red, green and purple.  Green grass, made of short choppy lines, dominates the lower half.  A washed-out yellow sky fills the top section and bleeds into the grass, adding to its texture.  A long line of surprisingly detailed Indians on horses is made of bright purple, stretching across the image.  Spread out among the people are five bright red umbrellas.  It is incredible that Scholder created such complex compositions during his first year as a lithographer.

Both the chops of the master printer and Tamarind Institute appear on lower edges of the paper. The edition number is written in lower left.  The artist signed the lower right corner.  This lithograph was produced in four colors and completed in March 1971 in an edition of 75 copies.  This is #63 of 75.  It is mounted so that the entire paper is visible and not covered with mats.  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