Untitled “In The Shade of the Tree” [SOLD]

A Taos Pueblo Indian, blanketed in colorful splendor, enjoying a moment of shade, evokes for the viewer what it must have been like to live at Taos Pueblo a couple hundred years ago before the intrusion of the hustle and bustle of the newcomers.

The magnificent manner in which the artist filled the canvas with a colorful cottonwood tree in its fall splendor, illustrates how small humans are in the overall scale of the land. The fall colors of the tree and hillside and the cleanliness of the land bring to mind the Natives' respect for Mother Nature—something lost in the 20th century's disposable lifestyle.

Artists have long portrayed the Southwest Indians in a romantic and picturesque manner. It is reassuring that the younger group of artists is continuing the tradition.

Francis Livingston lived and worked in San Francisco and San Anselmo for 20 years until he and his family relocated to the Sun Valley, Idaho, area, where he developed a deeper appreciation for the West. He has now become one of the West's premier living painters. His paintings of western landscapes and pueblo architecture capture the colors and light effects that are unique to the West. His deep understanding of history, the land and its people allow him to create imagery reminiscent of the Taos Founders, and other great western artists.

Francis Livingston was commissioned to create the book cover images for academy award winning author Michael Blake's Dances with Wolves and its sequel, The Holy Road. He was also selected by the Kentucky Derby in 2004 to create their annual poster.

The painting is signed in lower right. It dates to 2015.

Condition: new condition

Provenance: from a Santa Fe resident