Untitled Painting of Man Playing Flute by Kiowa Artist Stephen Mopope [SOLD]

This untitled original painting was created by influential Kiowa artist Stephen Mopope.  The painting features a man playing a flute—one of Mopope’s favorite subjects throughout his storied career.  The man is depicted in profile and wearing traditional clothing, which is typical of Mopope’s work.  There is no background or ground plane, which is also to be expected of a piece like this.

Mopope’s work here is gentle and beautiful.  He included an admirable amount of detail in the man’s headdress and clothing, and selected particularly bold, appealing colors.  Mopope was a flute player, so it makes sense that he would succeed with the details seen here. Note the intricacies of the man’s headdress, the small bursts of color in his arm and leg bands, and the striped flute with hanging tassels—this is exceptional work that deserves a close look. The image as a whole feels refined and elegant.  This is a fine example of Stephen Mopope’s work.

The painting is signed Mopope in lower right.  It is framed nicely, with a dark blue mat and a simple black frame.

Stephen Mopope (1898-1974) was a painter, musician and dancer who was born and raised on the Kiowa Reservation. Mopope received a traditional Kiowa childhood education from his grandmother. Later, he studied with Susie Peters of the Kiowa Agency in Anadarko, Oklahoma, and attended the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Mopope would go on to become the most prolific member of a group of influential Oklahoma artists known originally as the Kiowa Five and ultimately as the Kiowa Six. The Kiowa Six—Spencer Asah, James Auchiah, Jack Hokeah, Stephen Mopope, Lois Smoky, and Monroe Tsatoke—was a group of influential artists whose works are displayed in museums and prominent collections around the world. Their style was, in some ways, similar to that of the Pueblo Indian painters, but it is unlikely that either group influenced the other. The work of the Kiowa Six evolved naturally from traditional Plains Indian hide paintings and ledger art.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Untitled Painting of Man Playing Flute by Kiowa Artist Stephen Mopope is from a private Colorado collection

Recommended Reading: American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas by Dorothy Dunn

Relative Links: Native American Paintings, Kiowa Reservation, Kiowa Six, Stephen Mopope, Kiowa Tribe Painter