Three Figure Pueblo Family Painting by Geraldine Gutierrez

Commissioned in 2008 by the well-established Native American art dealer Dick Howard of Santa Fe, this gouache painting on paper by Geraldine Gutiérrez represents a significant milestone in her artistic career. Presumed to be her first multi-figure composition, the painting features a family of farmers in a harmonious scene beneath a radiant sunface. The mother offers cornmeal to ensure a fertile crop, while the father, with a hoe in hand, prepares the ground for the seeds he carries in his satchel. Central to the composition is a San Ildefonso jar with a ladle, symbolizing Gutiérrez's connection to her mother's roots in San Ildefonso Pueblo and serving as an offering of water to nourish the new crop.

Geraldine Gutiérrez, born in 1960, is a distinguished painter and potter from New Mexico's Santa Clara Pueblo. Her artistic lineage is deeply rooted in the traditions of both San Ildefonso Pueblo, where her mother Helen Atencio hailed from, and Santa Clara Pueblo, her father Frank Gutiérrez's home. Although Gutiérrez is technically affiliated with her mother's pueblo, she resides at Santa Clara, where she continues to produce both blackware pottery and vibrant paintings.

Gutiérrez's paintings are profoundly influenced by the work of her uncle, Gilbert Atencio, a renowned painter from San Ildefonso Pueblo. While she upholds the traditional methods of Pueblo painting, her approach is distinctly her own. Her favorite subjects are dance figures, which she often depicts without ground lines, surrounded by colorful, abstract designs and patterns. Gutiérrez's use of color is particularly striking-intense and vibrant, as if directly from the paint tubes. Her work is characterized by delicate value, fine outlines, and meticulous modeling and shading, creating compositions that are both traditional and innovative.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Three Figure Pueblo Family Painting by Geraldine Gutierrez is from a collector in California

Recommended Reading: Modern by Tradition: American Indian Painting in the Studio Style by Bruce Bernstein

TAGS: Helen Atencio, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo, Native American Paintings, Gilbert Atencio, Southwest Indian Pottery, Geraldine Gutiérrez