Ram Dancer Painting by Cochiti Pueblo Artist Joe Herrera

This single-figure composition of a Ram Dancer by Joe Hilario Herrera showcases his mastery of gouache painting, which he honed over several decades. Herrera's artistry is evident in the fine lines that carry through the figure, and the headdress is rendered with the meticulous detail on par with Persian Mughal paintings. The form is orchestrated with precision, from the carefully placed dots to the precise lines articulating the juniper fronds in the back of the headdress. The white shirt of the dancer is simply yet effectively suggested with a light blue ribbon next to a thin black outline, with the same light blue used as defining lines in the leggings. These masterful touches reveal a high degree of artistic resolve and economy, synchronizing the entire figure into a harmonious whole. 

The Ram Dancer is a significant figure in Pueblo dances, which are performed to honor the natural world, ensure community well-being, and maintain harmony with the environment. These ceremonial dances, often tied to the agricultural cycle, are performed at specific times of the year to invoke blessings for bountiful harvests.

The watercolor painting is signed in the lower right, Joe Herrera See Ru.

Joe Hilario Herrera (1923-2001), known as See Ru, was an innovative and successful Native American painter. He was born to a Cochiti Pueblo father and pioneering painter Tonita Vigil Peña (1893-1949), also known as Quah Ah, from San Ildefonso, Herrera's artistic inheritance and early education came from his mother. Although his style differed from his mother's—his work was described as "coolly decorative" compared to her "warmly natural" approach—he is rightly considered a painter from Cochiti Pueblo. Herrera attended the Santa Fe Indian School, served in the US Army during World War II, worked at the Laboratory of Anthropology, and earned a degree in art education from the University of New Mexico. He passed away in 2001, leaving behind a legacy of authentically drawn ceremonial subjects that honor his cultural heritage.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Ram Dancer Painting by Cochiti Pueblo Artist Joe Herrera is from an experienced collector in Texas

Recommended Reading: American Indian Painting and Sculpture by Patricia Janis Broder

TAGS: Cochiti Pueblo, Tonita Vigil Peña - Quah Ah, San Ildefonso, Native American Paintings, Joe Hilario Herrera