Original Painting Entitled Coyote Dancer [SOLD]

Harry Fonseca (1946-2006) was an artist of Portuguese, Hawaiian and Nisenan-Maidu descent. He was born January 5, 1946 in Sacramento, California and was raised in Bryte, California. Fonseca attended local schools, including California State University Sacramento, where he majored in fine art with emphasis on "primitive" styles and forms.

Dr. Bruce Bernstein commented on the painting via email:

"The Coyote Dance painting is part of Harry's exploration of his Maidu heritage.  This was before he moved to New Mexico; and this work included his first explorations of Coyote (1975).  Coyote in this painting pre-dates his New Mexico life.  Beginning in the early 1970s Harry began learning more about his Nisenan (Southern Maidu) heritage by attending dances, participating in dances, learning from Maidu elders and doing his own research. One of dances he saw one wintery night in 1973 or 1974 was the Coyote Dance.  He was struck by the ceremony and the snowy night and over the next few years painted different aspects of that night.  Coyote himself was a big part of the night --the singers call out in a haunting melody, Coyote hesitantly enters the dance house, but now finding himself in the presence of food and people he begins mis-behaving.  In between his sniffing around and howling, he dances around the roundhouse fire, slightly upright, leaning over the sticks that are his front legs.  The regalia is a full covering of eagle feathers, with the coyote head mounted to the top; being picked to dance the Coyote was a big honor.   Harry knew stories of Coyote as trickster but seeing him dance struck Harry at his deepest consciousness --the image of seeing Coyote dance that first time inspired his life and work for decades.  In a sense the painting is his rendition of Coyote as Harry first meet him. As Harry lived his life, Coyote was often along his side, enjoying its ups and downs."

In this painting, Fonseca shows Coyote wearing an elaborate mask with long streams of fabric falling from the head almost to the ground.  It appears that Coyote is dancing in a ritual manner, with sticks in his hands which represent the front legs of the animal.  Coyote’s body is striped with paint, similar to New Mexico Koosa Clowns, also known as tricksters, an influence on Fonseca of the pueblo culture.

The painting is framed in a simple painted wood frame made by the artist.  It is signed and dated 1980.

Condition: this Original Painting Entitled Coyote Dancer is in excellent original condition

Provenance: from the estate of a New York client who amassed a large art collection of Native American artists.

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

Harry Fonseca (1946-2006) - Artist photo from unknown web source.