Pair of Early Paintings of San Ildefonso Pueblo Dancers by Tonita Peña [SOLD]

This pair of paintings depicting dancers was created by San Ildefonso Pueblo artist Tonita Peña.  Samuel L. Gray’s Tonita Peña provides a timeline of how and when the artist signed her works, which allows us to identify these as having been completed in 1922 or 1923.  The signature seen here—Quah Ah, Tonita P Arquero—is the rarest of the many signatures Peña used during her career. Each painting features a single pueblo dancer, depicted in profile and in motion.  This, of course, was the style preferred by Peña and her peers. It is commonly referred to as the flat style or the Studio style. The latter of these two names refers to The Studio at the Santa Fe Indian School.

Peña’s work here is of her typically fine quality.  These single-figure images feature incredibly detailed work that was simply not possible with her larger-scaled images.  Here, we see every bit of each of these dancers’ ceremonial regalia. Note the female’s necklaces, arm and wrist bands, and floral-patterned dress—this is careful, beautiful work that deserves a close look.  Her face was rendered with great sensitivity, and so was that of the Antelope Dancer featured in the other painting. He’s smiling, almost, as he performs his sacred ritual. Like the female, his clothing and paraphernalia are depicted in near-perfect detail.  The colors here are strong and appealing, and the two identically framed images look wonderful alongside each other. Single-figure images are sometimes ignored by collectors in favor of larger, more ambitious pieces. This pair deserves the attention of the collector who wants a special presentation from the great Tonita Peña.

The paintings are framed identically—under black matting, with red and white interior bands, in simple wood frames.  Each painting is signed Quah Ah, Tonita P Arquero in lower right.

Tonita Peña (1893-1949) Quah Ah was born in 1893 at the small New Mexico pueblo of San Ildefonso.  The pueblo is located on the Rio Grande, just north of Santa Fe. When Peña was just twelve years old, her mother passed away. Her father, unable to raise her while tending to his responsibilities at the pueblo, took her to live with her aunt and uncle at Cochiti Pueblo.  This was where she would spend the remainder of her life. Peña was the only woman in the group of talented early pueblo artists referred to as The San Ildefonso Self-Taught Group, which included such noted artists as Julian Martinez, Alfonso Roybal, Abel Sanchez, Crecencio Martinez, and Encarnación Peña.  These artists were the earliest known pueblo painters. Today, their works are highly collectible not just because of their historical significance but because of their quality.

Peña is recognized as the first Pueblo Indian woman to make a living as a painter.  By the time she was 25 years old, she was a successful easel artist. Her work was being displayed in museum exhibitions and in commercial art galleries in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. She painted what she knew best—scenes of life at the pueblo.  She mostly painted ceremonial dances, and occasionally depicted everyday events. She did so with incredible skill and sensitivity. It is apparent in her works that she truly knew and respected each of the rituals she depicted. In the years since her passing she has come to be regarded as one of the greatest Indian artists of all time.  Her works are displayed in prominent public and private collections around the country.

Condition: Very good condition. The Antelope Dancer painting’s paper has a few small marks and discolorations, none of which are distracting

Provenance: this Pair of Early Paintings of San Ildefonso Pueblo Dancers by Tonita Peña was purchased directly from the artist by an early collector, who passed the paintings along to their current owner

Recommended Reading: 

- Through Their Eyes—Indian Painting in Santa Fe, 1918-1945 by Michelle McGeough, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, 2009

- Tonita Peña by Samuel Lewis Gray

Relative Links: Tonita Peña, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Cochiti Pueblo, Julian Martinez, Alfonso Roybal, Abel Sanchez, Crecencio Martinez, Encarnación Peña, Native American Paintings