Original Oil Pastel Drawing “Marguerite” [R]

This original pastel drawing by R.C. Gorman was executed in 1985, a period recognized as possibly his best. It illustrates his ability to exhibit the full extent of his intended image through a minimum of lines. The full body of the female is so elegantly displayed in one simple line drawing, with the face and hair filled in with more detail.

In his portrayals of women, Gorman had no peers. His drawings are as individualistic as the models he used. The body of his work was directed toward the Navajo Indian women of his culture.

Gorman was born at Chinle, Arizona; a stone's throw from the beautiful Canyon de Chelly. He attended a one-room school there after which he attended St. Michael's Junior High and then Ganado Presbyterian High School, from which he graduated in 1950. He joined the Navy for four years during which he attended Guam Territorial College in the Mariana Islands. Following his discharge, he attended Northern Arizona University. In 1958, he received the first scholarship ever given by the Navajo Tribe for study outside the United States and attended Mexico City College.

It was this experience that changed the direction of his art. His exposure to Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros, and Tamayo, and possibly Zuniga, had a life-changing effect on him. As he said: “That is when I abandoned my ‘Indian way’ of painting.”

Gorman moved to Taos in 1968 and resided there for the remainder of his life. He had a large old adobe home and his own gallery. He certainly is one of the most well-known Navajo artists of the twentieth century.

Condition: appears to be in excellent condition

Provenance: from a gentleman from Albuquerque

Recommended Reading: The Sweet Grass Lives On: Fifty Contemporary North American Indian Artists by Jamake Highwater