Untitled Painting of Foxes Attacking a Bison [SOLD]

Tesuque Pueblo painter Tim Vigil ( - ) Ku Se Peen - Rocky Mountain was the son of Thomas Vigil, one of the earliest 20th century Pueblo painters, and the brother of Paul Vigil.  Thomas Vigil worked almost exclusively within the confines of the two-dimensional “flat-style” of painting for which he and his peers are well-known today, and the few available published examples of Tim and Paul’s work are also in keeping with this traditional style.

Clara Lee Tanner’s book Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art notes that his work is “sometimes on the light side… A 1965 effort shows a deer licking the feet of an Indian baby” (190).  This painting, signed and dated 1967, suggests that Vigil’s “light” side was just that: one of two sides.  The subject matter is intense and violent, with three foxes attacking and drawing blood from a bison.  The bison’s fur and horns are bloody, as if the four animals have been struggling for a considerable amount of time.  Everything is in motion, including the clouds painted in the background behind the main event.

Interestingly, Vigil’s “light side” is evident even in this bloody scene.  The sky, mountains, and ground are painted beautifully with soft pinks, blues and greens.  The detail with which Vigil paints the Bison’s fur is incredible, and his color palette is rich and bold.  This is an interesting study in contrast from a Pueblo painter about whom we know very little.

Condition: it is in excellent condition
Provenance: from the collection of a Santa Fe resident
Recommended Reading: Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art by Clara Lee Tanner