Tse Tsan Original Painting of Two Pueblo Dancers [R]

This original painting was created by Pablita Velarde of Santa Clara Pueblo. Most of the Velarde pieces that we see at Adobe Gallery are mineral earth paintings, which were made with paints of the artist's own creation. This piece, which was made in 1993, was made using colorful casein paints. We see these casein paintings on occasion, and they are consistently excellent.

With this piece, Velarde offered a detailed depiction of two ceremonial dancers. On the left, a man dances, carrying a rattle and an evergreen bough. On the right, a woman dances, wearing a tableta and carrying evergreen. Velarde's bold, bright casein paints serve the image quite well, adding life and energy to the proceedings, which is appropriate given the subject matter. The depth and detail used for the dancers' clothing and jewelry is notable, as is the background-Velarde created a slightly more modern variation of the web of geometric forms that typically appears behind her mineral earth figures, adding brighter colors and appealing atomized textures. This is a wonderful example of Pablita Velarde's work.

The painting is signed Pablita Velarde and dated 1993 in lower right. It is framed beautifully using high quality materials, including a carved frame and cream-colored fabric matte.

Pablita Velarde (1918-2006) Tse Tsan - Golden Dawn was an innovative and influential artist from Santa Clara Pueblo. Velarde was one of the first full-time female students in Dorothy Dunn's art class at the Santa Fe Indian School, where she studied alongside Tonita Peña. These two women are regarded as the first Native American women to support themselves as painters, but it's not just because of this that they are remembered so fondly. It's because of the quality of their works that they have remained so visible in the many years since they have passed. Velarde's works are included in many prominent public and private collections, and she is generally regarded as a significant figure in the world of Native American art. Velarde passed away in 2006.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Tse Tsan Original Painting of Two Pueblo Dancers is from a private collection

Recommended Reading: Tradition & Innovation: Pablita Velarde (Santa Clara) and Helen Hardin (Santa Clara), Native American Art Magazine, April/May 2016

TAGS: Native American Paintings, Santa Clara Pueblo, Tonita Peña, watercolor, Helen Hardin, Navajo Nation, Pablita Velarde