Pair of Untitled Paintings of Cheyenne Indians on Horseback [SOLD]

Archie Blackowl (1911-1992) MisTaMooToVa was a talented and influential Cheyenne artist who worked in the traditional style for most of his long career. Blackowl, a descendent of Cheyenne chiefs Roman Nose and Crow Necklace, was born in Weatherford, Oklahoma. He was interested in art at a very young age, but did not begin painting seriously until the early 1930s.  He studied a wide variety of subjects at many different educational institutions, and worked a wide variety of jobs, most of which were related in some way to his natural abilities as a painter.

Blackowl’s works, which celebrate Cheyenne life and culture with the detail and accuracy of the very best traditionalists, are included in numerous prestigious private and public collections. These collections include the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian, the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art, and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.  He exhibited extensively and successfully at Oklahoma’s major museums during his career, and received many awards for his works. Blackowl passed away in Oklahoma in 1992.

This pair of untitled paintings serves as a particularly strong example of this influential artist’s strengths.  Blackowl used thick tempera paints to create these two images: a Cheyenne man on horseback, and a Cheyenne woman carrying her child on horseback. The man, a warrior dressed in full regalia and carrying a spear and shield, appears poised and confident as his horse makes its way toward their destination. The woman, elaborately dressed and carrying her child at her side, looks peaceful and beautiful. The horses themselves—pictured with their heads down, in stride—are composed with incredible skill.  In keeping with the traditional style, there is no background, but the artist did add a personal touch: a thin, winding series of lines underneath the horses’ feet. This subtle addition adds a sense of movement to the images.

A cursory glance at either image will leave the viewer charmed, as the image’s colors and basic compositional choices are excellent.  A more thorough inspection, however, will reveal even greater rewards: incredibly detailed brushwork and an atypically varied color palette.  The areas in which Blackowl focused particular attention—the woman’s beaded adornments, the warrior’s feathered headdress, and all of his subjects hands and faces, in particular—provide an excellent look at his technical abilities.  His color choices—bright, bold, and complementary—are notably accessible and incredibly varied, particularly in the aforementioned areas of extra detail. These images exemplify the simple, quiet charm of traditional Native American paintings.

The lower right corner of each painting is signed A. Blackowl.  It is clear, particularly when the paintings are positioned so that the horses are facing each other, that these two paintings were intended by the artist to be displayed as a pair.  They are framed beautifully in matching, identical frames, underneath layered mattes in colors that complement the images.

Condition: this Pair of Untitled Paintings of Cheyenne Indians on Horseback is in original condition

Provenance: from the collection of a Colorado resident, the daughter of the Balcomb family former owners of several art galleries prior to the 1970s.  These were passed down through the family and probably pre-date the closing of their galleries.

Recommended Reading:  Highwater, Jamake. Song from the Earth: American Indian Painting, 1976