“Woman, Chair, and Dog” Monotype by Fritz Scholder [SOLD]

“Woman, Chair, and Dog” is a large monotype by influential Luiseño artist Fritz Scholder. Monotype printing is a method in which an image is created on a smooth, non-absorbent surface (usually a copper, zinc, glass, or acrylic plate) and then transferred to a sheet of paper by pressing the two together. Monotypes are prints, technically speaking, but they are not produced in multiples the way that lithographs and serigraphs usually are.

Those who are familiar with Scholder’s work will recognize this as a particularly straightforward piece, and its relative simplicity works quite well. The titular woman, chair, and dog face the viewer directly. She leans to her left, clasping her hands together and crossing her legs as her dog sits dutifully beside her.

Over the years and with much guidance from the printers themselves, Scholder mastered his chosen printmaking methods, learning to make the most of the unique possibilities of each medium. Here, he focused his attention on the atmosphere, creating smokey textures and wispy clouds of color with his paints. A strong black and a striking purple appear, defining the figures’ faces and frames. The image as a whole feels dreamy and beautiful. It invites the viewer into its appealing atmosphere and rewards those who choose to study its intricacies.

The paper is signed Scholder, titled “Woman, Chair, and Dog” in pencil, and marked with the chop mark of Rezvani Workshop. A label on the back dates the piece to 1992. It is framed beautifully, with the paper mounted on a white backing in a wood frame.

Fritz Scholder (1937-2005) was by birth one-quarter Luiseño Indian, a California Mission Tribe. He was born in Minnesota, spent two decades in the Dakotas, and lived in Galisteo, NM, and Scottsdale, AZ.  Fritz Scholder came to Santa Fe in 1964 to teach advanced painting and art history at the new Institute of American Indian Arts, a school established by the United States Department of the Interior. He obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Arizona in 1964 before moving to Santa Fe and joining IAIA.  Fritz Scholder enjoyed a long and successful career and is regarded today as one of the most innovative and influential Native artists.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this "Woman, Chair, and Dog" Monotype by Fritz Scholder is from a private Santa Fe collection

Recommended Reading: Fritz Scholder: Rot-Red with essay By Thomas Zacharias

Relative Links: Luiseño Indian, a California Mission Tribe, Santa Fe, paintings, lithographs, Albuquerque, Fritz Scholder, Luiseño Indian Painter