Oil on Canvas Painting “The Navajo—Indian Country” [SOLD]

J. R. Willis’ career began as a political cartoonist during the Spanish American War. He worked at the Atlanta Constitution before going to New York to study art around 1908. Then he went to California, where he was a pioneer in the cartoon industry. He also spent 10 years as a "chalk talk" artist in vaudeville.

In 1917, he was booked at a theater in Gallup, New Mexico, when the owner of the theater died of influenza. Willis bought the theater and established a photography studio in Gallup. In 1931, he moved to Old Town in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and in 1938, he built his home and studio at the corner of Rio Grande and Alhambra Drive in the country club district of Albuquerque. The property is now a bed and breakfast known as Casas de Sueños Old Town Historic Inn (Dream House).

Joseph R. Willis (1876-1960) was known for his portraits of American Indians, principally of New Mexico and Arizona. His work was realistic. Photography was another medium for which he was well known. Many of the photographs were used to make view-master reels and post cards, which have become quite collectible today.

This painting of a typical high-desert landscape in western New Mexico on the Navajo Reservation in an excellent example of Willis’ ability to bring life where there is little.  The piñon tree in the far right fills the area with a single feature of dark beauty.  The twist in the trunk is a realistic expectation of a piñon.  On the far left, Willis placed a couple of Navajo taking a break from horse riding.  The green Chamisa plants in the foreground contrast beautifully with the yellow ground.  The blue sky is host to pink and blue colors of the late afternoon clouds.

The exactitude of photography had an influence on Willis’s painting style.  His paintings are very photographic realism.  He painted what he saw as a photographer, not what he might have been tempted to present.  If one searched long enough, the site location of this painting could be found and it would look just like he painted in this painting.

Condition: the painting has just been professionally cleaned and is ready to hang and enjoy

Provenance: from a gentleman in Colorado who inherited it from his father

Recommended Reading: Masters of Western Art by Mary Nelson