Adobe Gallery Blog

There were cross cultural experiences and influences between the early European-American artists of Santa Fe and Taos and the local Pueblo painters.  Santa Fe artist William Penhollow Henderson, who moved to Santa Fe in 1916, had an influence on the work of Awa Tsireh in that Henderson shared his art books with Awa Tsireh and some of those books were on Japanese and other Asian arts.

It is quite likely that Awa Tsireh developed the style seen in this painting through studying Henderson's Asian art books.  The static, frontal symmetrical positioning of flat imagery outlined in black line and filled with flat bright colors has a definite Asian appearance.  The dancers are positioned facing to the front with their feet facing sideways.  Their faces are rounded and abstract, yet their clothing is pictured in the finest accurate detail.  It is this style that Awa Tsireh produced in the 1920s. This is only one style of Awa Tsireh's art.  He apparently tried styles seen in other books belonging to Henderson.

Read more about this painting here.