Original Painting of the Cochiti Eagle Dance [SOLD]

Joe Herrera, born into a rich art inheritance through his father’s pueblo of Cochiti and his mother’s pueblo of San Ildefonso, was painting before he entered the Indian School in Santa Fe. His mother, Tonita Peña (Quah Ah) gave him thorough training in art techniques.

According to Clara Lee Tanner, “Herrera developed three outstanding traits which are reflected in his work—one in which there is a perfectly delineated single dance figure, the second a dance group and, third, an abstract style utilizing native designs. In his execution of the group and single dance figures, there is no competitor for perfection. Often he has used a colored paper to complement the tones in which his subjects are painted. He further enhances the excellent color contrasts by doing very fine work.”

Every accolade stated by Tanner is evident in this very fine painting of an Eagle Dancer with a female dancer and a drummer, even to the use of colored paper as a contrasting medium. The pastel colors chosen are soft and strong simultaneously. The detail executed in the finely rendered clothing is typical of Herrera’s perfection in his work. This is a fine example of his earlier work before he ventured into abstract painting. The painting is signed lower right but not dated but it is from his early 1980s period.

Condition: It appears to be in original excellent condition but has not been examined out of the frame.

Reference and Recommended Reading:  Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art by Clara Lee Tanner

Provenance: from the extensive collection of paintings of a Santa Fe family.