Untitled Painting of Game Animal Dance [SOLD]

Gilbert Atencio's family included four siblings, one of whom was well-known Santa Clara Pueblo potter Helen Gutierrez.  His parents were Isabel Montoya (1899-1996) and Benjamin Atencio (? -1963).  His grandmother and Maria Martinez's mother were sisters.  His niece is Geraldine Gutierrez, who is a painter and potter living at Santa Clara Pueblo.

Gilbert Atencio (1930-1995) Wah Peen attended the Santa Fe Indian School, graduating in 1947.  By the time he was twenty, he had exhibited at the Santa Fe Museum, the Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial, various Albuquerque venues, and at the Philbrook Art Center in Oklahoma.  He had been awarded six first prizes, six second prizes and five third prizes by the age of 19.

He will certainly be recognized as one of the finest pueblo painters of the second half of the 20th century—not only from San Ildefonso Pueblo, but among all pueblo painters.  His attention to detail was unequalled.  As a professional medical illustrator at Los Alamos National Labs, Atencio carried his precise drawing and painting skills over to his fine art paintings.  His crisply drawn and clearly colored renderings of ceremonial and home life have, since around 1947, been favorites in many shows.

In this Untitled Painting of Game Animal Dance, Atencio illustrates an animal dance procession.  A pair of male Buffalo Dancers leads the procession, followed by a pair of female Buffalo Dancers.  There is then a pair of Deer Dancers followed by a single male.  Atencio’s attention to presenting the detail of the clothing is typical of his style.  He was always a perfectionist in presenting pueblo ceremonial functions.

This painting is illustrated on page 102 of Through Their Eyes—Indian Painting in Santa Fe, 1918-1945 by Michelle McGeough, a book of paintings from the Charlotte Greenleaf Mittler collection.

Condition: one small spot on paper on center right

Provenance:

-        Originally owned by Anita and Popovi Da, San Ildefonso Pueblo, 1950s

-        Janice E. Parker 3^rd child of Anita and Popovi Da, 1987

-        Richard M. Howard collection, 1995

-        Charlotte G. Mittler collection from 1999 to present

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