Untitled Painting of a Female Koosa Clown [SOLD]

Geraldine Gutiérrez (1960 – ) is a painter and potter from New Mexico’s Santa Clara Pueblo. Gutiérrez’s mother, Helen Atencio, was from San Ildefonso Pueblo and her father, Frank Gutierrez, from Santa Clara Pueblo. Although she technically belongs to her mother’s pueblo, she makes her residence at Santa Clara and produces blackware pottery as well as paintings. Her paintings are certainly influenced by the work of her uncle—Gilbert Atencio, an excellent painter from San Ildefonso Pueblo.

Gutierrez carries on in the traditional manner of pueblo painting, but does so in a notably unique manner. Dance figures are her favorite theme, and generally they are drawn without any ground lines.  Rather, she surrounds her subjects with colorful, abstract designs and patterns. Her colors are so intense they look as though they came directly from the paint tubes. They are delicate in value, consistently neat, outlines tend to be fine, and there is much delicate modeling and shading.

This untitled painting of a Female *Koosa clown will delight those who appreciate Gutiérrez’s style.  The Koosa clown, intricately adorned and bent into a semicircle, serves as the image’s center and focal point. The influence of Gilbert Atencio is recognizable in the clown’s incredibly detailed ceremonial garb.  Gutiérrez’s fine linework and large, varied color palette result in an image that is more elaborate than most similarly themed pueblo paintings. She must have truly appreciated her uncle’s expertly crafted traditional-style works.  

Gutierrez completed the image by placing her subject within a bold, multi colored frame made of simple patterns and interlocking geometric shapes.  The frame itself is arranged in an interesting fashion, curving up and over the clowns head and reaching inwards towards her abdomen near the image’s center.  The inclusion of this colorful frame elevated the piece beyond the traditional pueblo style and into more distinctive territory. Gutierrez’s work here is excellent.

The painting is signed and dated 1980.  On the back of the frame, Gutierrez wrote the following: “San Ildefonso, Female ‘Koosa’, Koshare Clown, Hano Clown”.

Condition: this Untitled Painting of a Female Koosa Clown is in excellent condition

Provenance: The painting was purchased by Adobe Gallery directly from the artist in 1980 and sold to a New Mexico collector.  The collector is downsizing and returned the painting for resale.

Recommended Reading: Indian Painters of the Southwest: The Deep Remembering by Katherin Chase

*Koosa - Koshari: a very important figure in Pueblo society seen as a black and white striped clown who demonstrates to the children "what NOT to do" oftentimes through their actions.  Don't smoke, drink, say bad words, treat others badly, or be lazy. They are oftentimes seen as leaders in a dance procession.  The stripes of the Koshari are usually horizontal.