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Posts tagged #JosephHenrySharp

Michael
Michael
@mdstamper.bsky.social
2 weeks ago
Two Indigenous (Native American) women crouch close together on sunlit ground, turned slightly toward our right as if focused on something just beyond the frame. Both hold their hands raised at chest level, palms nearly caught mid-clap to suggest a steady rhythm rather than a single loud strike. The woman at left appears older, with a deeply lined face and a calm, intent expression. She wears a light blanket or shawl draped over her shoulders with geometric banding. The woman at right appears slightly younger, her dark hair pulled back. She wears a pale top and a warm, reddish skirt. The background is pared down to soft, sandy tones with minimal detail, so the women’s bodies, garments, and gestures carry the whole scene. Their posture is grounded, balanced, and purposeful like communal music and movement you can almost hear. American artist Joseph Henry Sharp frames the women’s clapping as both performance and prayerful attention, emphasizing rhythm as a shared form of knowledge and something made together, not possessed. As an artist closely associated with Taos, New Mexico and the early 20th-century art colony there, he repeatedly painted Indigenous life through an outsider’s eye, often blending careful observation with the era’s taste for “timeless” images of Native cultures. That tension matters here because the women’s identities are not named, yet their presence is rendered with dignity and concentration, asking us to notice skill (timing, breath, cadence) rather than spectacle. Scholarship around this work’s dating is complicated. Museum records place it around 1930, while other research links the title and signature style to Sharp’s earlier western period which suggests he may have revisited a long-held subject over time. Either way, the painting lingers on what endures: synchronized hands, shared song, and the authority of women shaping ceremony through sound and movement.

Two Indigenous (Native American) women crouch close together on sunlit ground, turned slightly toward our right as if focused on something just beyond the frame. Both hold their hands raised at chest level, palms nearly caught mid-clap to suggest a steady rhythm rather than a single loud strike. The woman at left appears older, with a deeply lined face and a calm, intent expression. She wears a light blanket or shawl draped over her shoulders with geometric banding. The woman at right appears slightly younger, her dark hair pulled back. She wears a pale top and a warm, reddish skirt. The background is pared down to soft, sandy tones with minimal detail, so the women’s bodies, garments, and gestures carry the whole scene. Their posture is grounded, balanced, and purposeful like communal music and movement you can almost hear. American artist Joseph Henry Sharp frames the women’s clapping as both performance and prayerful attention, emphasizing rhythm as a shared form of knowledge and something made together, not possessed. As an artist closely associated with Taos, New Mexico and the early 20th-century art colony there, he repeatedly painted Indigenous life through an outsider’s eye, often blending careful observation with the era’s taste for “timeless” images of Native cultures. That tension matters here because the women’s identities are not named, yet their presence is rendered with dignity and concentration, asking us to notice skill (timing, breath, cadence) rather than spectacle. Scholarship around this work’s dating is complicated. Museum records place it around 1930, while other research links the title and signature style to Sharp’s earlier western period which suggests he may have revisited a long-held subject over time. Either way, the painting lingers on what endures: synchronized hands, shared song, and the authority of women shaping ceremony through sound and movement.

“The Chanters” by Joseph Henry Sharp (American) - Oil on canvas / c. 1930 - New Mexico Museum of Art (Santa Fe, New Mexico) #WomenInArt #JosephHenrySharp #JosephSharp #NativeAmericanArt #IndigenousWomen #PortraitofWomen #art #artText #AmericanArt #AmericanArtist #NewMexicoMuseumofArt #TaosSchool

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Michael
Michael
@mdstamper.bsky.social
1 month ago
A vertical portrait shows a young Indigenous girl in three-quarter view, turned to our right with a quiet, steady look. Her skin is warmly modeled with soft highlights on the cheek and brow. Her expression is thoughtful and composed rather than posed for charm. Long, dark hair is gathered back and tied with a vivid red ribbon, falling over one shoulder in a thick wave. She wears a high-neck, long-sleeved dress in a gentle lavender-pink, and layered blue-bead necklaces that sit against the fabric like a rhythmic band of color. A single gold-toned earring catches light near her ear. The background is a cool, brushed field of sea-green and pale turquoise, kept intentionally simple so the sitter’s face, hair, and jewelry become the painting’s center. At the top edge, the artist has written her name: “MARY KOWSHTA” and “ALASKAN.” The museum identifies her as Mary Kowsata, “daughter of a Chilkat chief,” and the object’s own note preserves an early-1900s, assimilation-era framing, that she “goes to school and speaks good English.” Read today, that line lands as both a biographical clue and a historical signal that points to the pressures Indigenous children faced as schooling and colonial policy reshaped language, dress, and daily life. American artist Joseph Henry Sharp was celebrated in his time for portraits of Native people, and institutions still describe him as central to the Taos artists’ colony, yet his career also sits inside a larger market that prized Indigenous likenesses while too often narrowing living cultures into collectible images. This portrait slightly resists some of that flattening through intimacy and restraint showing a single girl who is named and rendered with care. Holding both truths together (her presence and the period’s power imbalance) invites a more ethical way for us to center Mary’s personhood first, while leaving room for community knowledge to deepen what the painted inscription cannot fully tell.

A vertical portrait shows a young Indigenous girl in three-quarter view, turned to our right with a quiet, steady look. Her skin is warmly modeled with soft highlights on the cheek and brow. Her expression is thoughtful and composed rather than posed for charm. Long, dark hair is gathered back and tied with a vivid red ribbon, falling over one shoulder in a thick wave. She wears a high-neck, long-sleeved dress in a gentle lavender-pink, and layered blue-bead necklaces that sit against the fabric like a rhythmic band of color. A single gold-toned earring catches light near her ear. The background is a cool, brushed field of sea-green and pale turquoise, kept intentionally simple so the sitter’s face, hair, and jewelry become the painting’s center. At the top edge, the artist has written her name: “MARY KOWSHTA” and “ALASKAN.” The museum identifies her as Mary Kowsata, “daughter of a Chilkat chief,” and the object’s own note preserves an early-1900s, assimilation-era framing, that she “goes to school and speaks good English.” Read today, that line lands as both a biographical clue and a historical signal that points to the pressures Indigenous children faced as schooling and colonial policy reshaped language, dress, and daily life. American artist Joseph Henry Sharp was celebrated in his time for portraits of Native people, and institutions still describe him as central to the Taos artists’ colony, yet his career also sits inside a larger market that prized Indigenous likenesses while too often narrowing living cultures into collectible images. This portrait slightly resists some of that flattening through intimacy and restraint showing a single girl who is named and rendered with care. Holding both truths together (her presence and the period’s power imbalance) invites a more ethical way for us to center Mary’s personhood first, while leaving room for community knowledge to deepen what the painted inscription cannot fully tell.

“Mary Kowsata” by Joseph Henry Sharp (American) - Oil on canvas / c. 1901–1902 - Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology (Berkeley, California) #WomenInArt #JosephHenrySharp #Sharp #HearstMuseum #PhoebeAHearstMuseum #IndigenousArt #Chilkat #PortraitofaGirl #BlueskyArt #artText #art #AmericanArt

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4 months ago

Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953)
American painter 🎨
#JosephHenrySharp

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Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953)
American painter 🎨
#JosephHenrySharp

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4 months ago

Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953)
American painter 🎨
#JosephHenrySharp

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4 months ago

Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953)
American painter 🎨
#JosephHenrySharp

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@saveredlandlibr.bsky.social
4 months ago

Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953)
American painter 🎨
#JosephHenrySharp

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Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953)
American painter 🎨
#JosephHenrySharp

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Michael
Michael
@mdstamper.bsky.social
6 months ago
In 1900, American artist Joseph Henry Sharp painted Do-Ree-Tah from life in his Taos summer studio, presenting the young Pueblo woman with distinctive “unmarried headdress” (according to the artist) and a pared, modern-free backdrop. Sharp often dressed sitters in garments from his own collection to evoke an “authentic” atmosphere. Do-Ree-Tah is depicted from the waist-up against a pale, brushed green ground. She looks ahead with a steady, neutral expression. Her glossy black hair has bangs and is coiled into two large ear-side buns, each wrapped with bright yellow cloth. She wears a cream blouse beneath a deep-purple, one-shoulder wrap edged in teal cinched by a rust-red sash. Silver drop earrings catch the light. Light falls from left, warming her tan cheeks. The portrait quickly circulated: exhibited in Cincinnati in 1900 and at Washington’s Cosmos Club in 1901, illustrated (reversed) in “Brush and Pencil,” and even adapted as an etching.  Around this moment Sharp’s life was in motion: summers in Santa Fe/Taos (from 1897) and winters at Crow Agency, Montana (by 1899), grounded in rigorous European training but also in the quiet, patient attention that followed childhood deafness. In 1901, W. H. Holmes of the Smithsonian purchased eleven of his portraits for a Cosmos Club display. That same year, Phoebe Apperson Hearst bought out his Pan-American Exposition show and arranged ongoing purchases. Her support let him leave teaching and paint full-time and focus on portraits of Plains and Southwestern Native people.  Sharp would soon be hailed as a “father” of the Taos artists’ colony; his blend of luminous portraiture and documentary intent helped define how early-20th-century audiences saw Indigenous subjects. In “Do-Ree-Tah,” the sitter’s poised gaze and ceremonial hair arrangement become both a record of person and a symbol of community, marking the work’s importance within his foundational Taos period.

In 1900, American artist Joseph Henry Sharp painted Do-Ree-Tah from life in his Taos summer studio, presenting the young Pueblo woman with distinctive “unmarried headdress” (according to the artist) and a pared, modern-free backdrop. Sharp often dressed sitters in garments from his own collection to evoke an “authentic” atmosphere. Do-Ree-Tah is depicted from the waist-up against a pale, brushed green ground. She looks ahead with a steady, neutral expression. Her glossy black hair has bangs and is coiled into two large ear-side buns, each wrapped with bright yellow cloth. She wears a cream blouse beneath a deep-purple, one-shoulder wrap edged in teal cinched by a rust-red sash. Silver drop earrings catch the light. Light falls from left, warming her tan cheeks. The portrait quickly circulated: exhibited in Cincinnati in 1900 and at Washington’s Cosmos Club in 1901, illustrated (reversed) in “Brush and Pencil,” and even adapted as an etching.  Around this moment Sharp’s life was in motion: summers in Santa Fe/Taos (from 1897) and winters at Crow Agency, Montana (by 1899), grounded in rigorous European training but also in the quiet, patient attention that followed childhood deafness. In 1901, W. H. Holmes of the Smithsonian purchased eleven of his portraits for a Cosmos Club display. That same year, Phoebe Apperson Hearst bought out his Pan-American Exposition show and arranged ongoing purchases. Her support let him leave teaching and paint full-time and focus on portraits of Plains and Southwestern Native people.  Sharp would soon be hailed as a “father” of the Taos artists’ colony; his blend of luminous portraiture and documentary intent helped define how early-20th-century audiences saw Indigenous subjects. In “Do-Ree-Tah,” the sitter’s poised gaze and ceremonial hair arrangement become both a record of person and a symbol of community, marking the work’s importance within his foundational Taos period.

“Do-Ree-Tah” by Joseph Henry Sharp (American) - Oil on paperboard / 1900 - Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington DC) #WomenInArt #TaosArt #art #artText #artwork #PortraitofaWoman #JosephHenrySharp #Sharp #Smithsonian #TaosArtColony #BlueskyArt #Pueblo #Beauty #SmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum

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Michael
Michael
@mdstamper.bsky.social
6 months ago
This elegant canvas by American artist Joseph Henry Sharp, "The Red Olla," features his beloved model, Crucita, posed in broad, clear light and seated on an adobe banco. She holds a peach-colored shawl in both hands and touches a large dark red clay jar (olla) with her right hand. The gesture embodies grace and affection portrayed with a sense of personal, reserved identity that Sharp allowed his favorite model to enjoy. Crucita seems deep in thought. When "The Red Olla" was exhibited in Cincinnati in January 1918, Sharp's favorite art critic, Mary L. Alexander, acknowledged its importance immediately. “The Red Olla…is really a most beautiful arrangement of Crucita: the fascination this picture has for one springs from many sources while the beauty of Crucita fairly haunts one and the arrangement and harmony of line are almost Whistleresque in its statement.” It is believed that Crucita posed for as many as 65 of Sharp’s paintings, from the time she was a young girl to a woman of middle age. The evolution of Sharp’s own painting style can also be traced through the progression of portraits of her. Eventually another young woman, Leaf Down, took Crucita’s place in Sharp’s paintings. A few months ago, I posted on Bluesky a painting by Sharp of Leaf Down. According to sales and exhibition records, this painting was first shown as "The Red Olla" in November, 1916 in an exhibition at the Traxel's New Gallery, then in January, 1918 at the Hotel Gibson in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in the 1924 exhibition "Mr. J. H. Sharp: Indian and Western Paintings" in Cincinnati at the Traxel Art Galleries. It was presented a fourth time in 1925 in An Exhibition of Paintings by the Taos Society of Artists at the Young's Art Galleries, Chicago, Illinois.

This elegant canvas by American artist Joseph Henry Sharp, "The Red Olla," features his beloved model, Crucita, posed in broad, clear light and seated on an adobe banco. She holds a peach-colored shawl in both hands and touches a large dark red clay jar (olla) with her right hand. The gesture embodies grace and affection portrayed with a sense of personal, reserved identity that Sharp allowed his favorite model to enjoy. Crucita seems deep in thought. When "The Red Olla" was exhibited in Cincinnati in January 1918, Sharp's favorite art critic, Mary L. Alexander, acknowledged its importance immediately. “The Red Olla…is really a most beautiful arrangement of Crucita: the fascination this picture has for one springs from many sources while the beauty of Crucita fairly haunts one and the arrangement and harmony of line are almost Whistleresque in its statement.” It is believed that Crucita posed for as many as 65 of Sharp’s paintings, from the time she was a young girl to a woman of middle age. The evolution of Sharp’s own painting style can also be traced through the progression of portraits of her. Eventually another young woman, Leaf Down, took Crucita’s place in Sharp’s paintings. A few months ago, I posted on Bluesky a painting by Sharp of Leaf Down. According to sales and exhibition records, this painting was first shown as "The Red Olla" in November, 1916 in an exhibition at the Traxel's New Gallery, then in January, 1918 at the Hotel Gibson in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in the 1924 exhibition "Mr. J. H. Sharp: Indian and Western Paintings" in Cincinnati at the Traxel Art Galleries. It was presented a fourth time in 1925 in An Exhibition of Paintings by the Taos Society of Artists at the Young's Art Galleries, Chicago, Illinois.

"The Red Olla" by Joseph Henry Sharp - Oil on canvas / c. 1916-1925 - Denver Art Museum (Colorado) #WomenInArt #art #Taos #JosephHenrySharp #artwork #BlueskyArt #AmericanArt #DenverArtMuseum #AmericanArtist #PortraitofaWoman #Indigenous #NativeAmerican #WesternArt #bskyart #oilpainting #artoftheday

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Michael
Michael
@mdstamper.bsky.social
9 months ago
American artist Joseph Henry Sharp's "Blackfoot Indian Girl" is a portrait from 1905 that captures a Blackfoot woman's cultural identity. Sharp's work, often focusing on Native Americans, reflects his interest in documenting their vibrant cultures and traditions. The painting depicts a young woman, likely from the Blackfoot Nation, in “traditional” attire, with a focus on the details of her clothing and appearance. Viewed from the chest up in profile view facing to the left of the frame, her striking long black hair is styled in two thick braids that hang down past her shoulders exposing small peach-colored earrings. Her skin tone is a medium brown with subtle variations in shading suggesting texture and depth. Her facial features include a prominent, straight nose; dark eyes, which seem to convey a thoughtful focused expression; and a somewhat full mouth with her lips closed, forming a neutral peaceful expression. Her body build seems slender, and her posture is upright and still, suggesting dignity and composure. She wears a brownish-tan garment with horizontal stripes in shades of dark and light blue, yellow, and red, suggesting idealized Native people’s woven patterns. The garment is adorned with decorative fringe along the edges in a reddish-brown color. She also wears a necklace made of multicolored beads around her neck and a beaded dark brown belt near her waist. The overall impression is one of quiet strength and a sense of cultural identity as perceived by the artist, Sharp. The colors are muted earths tones punctuated with the brighter stripes on the garment. The woman's expression and pose convey a sense of contemplation and poise rather than overt emotion. Around the time of this painting, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned Sharp to paint the portraits of 200 Native American warriors who survived the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Sharp lived on land of the Crow in Montana, where he built his studio cabin called Absarokee Hut in 1905.

American artist Joseph Henry Sharp's "Blackfoot Indian Girl" is a portrait from 1905 that captures a Blackfoot woman's cultural identity. Sharp's work, often focusing on Native Americans, reflects his interest in documenting their vibrant cultures and traditions. The painting depicts a young woman, likely from the Blackfoot Nation, in “traditional” attire, with a focus on the details of her clothing and appearance. Viewed from the chest up in profile view facing to the left of the frame, her striking long black hair is styled in two thick braids that hang down past her shoulders exposing small peach-colored earrings. Her skin tone is a medium brown with subtle variations in shading suggesting texture and depth. Her facial features include a prominent, straight nose; dark eyes, which seem to convey a thoughtful focused expression; and a somewhat full mouth with her lips closed, forming a neutral peaceful expression. Her body build seems slender, and her posture is upright and still, suggesting dignity and composure. She wears a brownish-tan garment with horizontal stripes in shades of dark and light blue, yellow, and red, suggesting idealized Native people’s woven patterns. The garment is adorned with decorative fringe along the edges in a reddish-brown color. She also wears a necklace made of multicolored beads around her neck and a beaded dark brown belt near her waist. The overall impression is one of quiet strength and a sense of cultural identity as perceived by the artist, Sharp. The colors are muted earths tones punctuated with the brighter stripes on the garment. The woman's expression and pose convey a sense of contemplation and poise rather than overt emotion. Around the time of this painting, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned Sharp to paint the portraits of 200 Native American warriors who survived the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Sharp lived on land of the Crow in Montana, where he built his studio cabin called Absarokee Hut in 1905.

“Blackfoot Indian Girl” by Joseph Henry Sharp (American) - Oil on canvas / 1905 - Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington DC) #WomenInArt #art #ArtText #OilPainting #blackfeet #SAAM #JosephHenrySharp #Sharp #blackfoot #womensart #portraitofawoman #SmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum #Smithsonian

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Michael
Michael
@mdstamper.bsky.social
10 months ago
American painter and co-founder of the Taos Society of Artists, John Henry Sharp depicts a young Native American woman, from the chest up in profile view. Her hair is dark brown, long and straight, is styled in a single braid on each side adorned with off-white beads or possibly bone pieces. Her skin tone is a beautiful warm, medium brown and her facial features are well-defined: She has high cheekbones, a strong nose, and her mouth is slightly downturned, suggesting a serious focused expression. Her eyes, though not fully visible, seem dark and deep-set. She is wearing a robe in shades of muted brown. It is decorated with round, light colored, possibly shell, teeth, or bone, ornaments arranged in vertical lines, along with hints of red and blue in the design. The garment appears to be made of a soft material that drapes elegantly. Sharp lived a long life and had a prolific career as a painter best known for his realistic portrayals of Indigenous people of North America. At the turn of the century, Sharp began to make a living solely from pursuing his subject matter of choice. His first major patron was iron-steel industrialist Joseph G. Butler of Youngstown, OH. From 1899 – 1906, Butler acquired more than 40 Sharp Native American portraits and one oil sketch of a Crow camp. In 1901, W.H. Holmes of the Smithsonian purchased eleven Sharp’s Indian portraits for an exhibit at the Cosmos Club. A third prestigious patron was Phoebe Apperson Hearst who amassed over 150 of his works between 1901-1919. In 1945 at the age of 86, Sharp was blessed with another major patron. Thomas Gilcrease purchased many of his paintings, much of his personal collection of Indian relics and his memorabilia. Today, the Gilcrease Institute provides the most complete survey of his long and prolific painting career.

American painter and co-founder of the Taos Society of Artists, John Henry Sharp depicts a young Native American woman, from the chest up in profile view. Her hair is dark brown, long and straight, is styled in a single braid on each side adorned with off-white beads or possibly bone pieces. Her skin tone is a beautiful warm, medium brown and her facial features are well-defined: She has high cheekbones, a strong nose, and her mouth is slightly downturned, suggesting a serious focused expression. Her eyes, though not fully visible, seem dark and deep-set. She is wearing a robe in shades of muted brown. It is decorated with round, light colored, possibly shell, teeth, or bone, ornaments arranged in vertical lines, along with hints of red and blue in the design. The garment appears to be made of a soft material that drapes elegantly. Sharp lived a long life and had a prolific career as a painter best known for his realistic portrayals of Indigenous people of North America. At the turn of the century, Sharp began to make a living solely from pursuing his subject matter of choice. His first major patron was iron-steel industrialist Joseph G. Butler of Youngstown, OH. From 1899 – 1906, Butler acquired more than 40 Sharp Native American portraits and one oil sketch of a Crow camp. In 1901, W.H. Holmes of the Smithsonian purchased eleven Sharp’s Indian portraits for an exhibit at the Cosmos Club. A third prestigious patron was Phoebe Apperson Hearst who amassed over 150 of his works between 1901-1919. In 1945 at the age of 86, Sharp was blessed with another major patron. Thomas Gilcrease purchased many of his paintings, much of his personal collection of Indian relics and his memorabilia. Today, the Gilcrease Institute provides the most complete survey of his long and prolific painting career.

“Blackfoot Girl” by Joseph Henry Sharp (American) - Oil on paperboard / c. 1899-1905 - Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington DC) #womeninart #art #artwork #oilpainting #portraitofawoman #AmericanArt #womensart #blackfoot #JosephHenrySharp #sharp #smithsonian #saam #SmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum

69 3 0 0
Michael
Michael
@mdstamper.bsky.social
11 months ago
There are multiple similar depictions of Taos Pueblo woman Leaf Down by American artist Joseph Henry Sharp displaying his master painting techniques to capture the likeness of Native Americans. This realistic painting at the Denver Art Museum was likely one of the portraits titled "Leaf Down" exhibited in 1929 at the Traxel Art Galleries. Years later, this painting was apparently still unsold. Sharp offered it as one of the two similar oils of Leaf Down at the Kreimer & Brother, Co. galleries in 1936 with a description of the beautiful woman "brilliantly illuminated by the light of a fire which throws her shadow in a dramatic way on the wall of the adobe." Sharp's interiors were carefully staged in his studio and the contemplative calm depicted in the scene can be felt by his viewers. Leaf Down, with short dark hair, wears a patterned, dark-colored dress with a bright reddish-orange sash. The sleeveless gown has intricate patterns, and the colors are blended in a way that evokes a sense of warmth. She sits on a green rug pulling her knees up with her arms and looking towards the off-canvas fireplace which casts a giant shadow on the adobe wall behind her. A large decorated pottery jar next to her legs has a beautiful beige patterned blanket stretching from it along the side of the woman to colorful pillows against the wall.

There are multiple similar depictions of Taos Pueblo woman Leaf Down by American artist Joseph Henry Sharp displaying his master painting techniques to capture the likeness of Native Americans. This realistic painting at the Denver Art Museum was likely one of the portraits titled "Leaf Down" exhibited in 1929 at the Traxel Art Galleries. Years later, this painting was apparently still unsold. Sharp offered it as one of the two similar oils of Leaf Down at the Kreimer & Brother, Co. galleries in 1936 with a description of the beautiful woman "brilliantly illuminated by the light of a fire which throws her shadow in a dramatic way on the wall of the adobe." Sharp's interiors were carefully staged in his studio and the contemplative calm depicted in the scene can be felt by his viewers. Leaf Down, with short dark hair, wears a patterned, dark-colored dress with a bright reddish-orange sash. The sleeveless gown has intricate patterns, and the colors are blended in a way that evokes a sense of warmth. She sits on a green rug pulling her knees up with her arms and looking towards the off-canvas fireplace which casts a giant shadow on the adobe wall behind her. A large decorated pottery jar next to her legs has a beautiful beige patterned blanket stretching from it along the side of the woman to colorful pillows against the wall.

"Leaf Down - Taos Indian Girl" by Joseph Henry Sharp (American) - Oil on canvas / c. 1928 - Denver Art Museum (Colorado) #womeninart #art #NativeAmerican #DenverArtMuseum #oilpainting #artwork #womensart #portrait #JosephHenrySharp #portraitofawoman #indigenous #beauty #AmericanArt #bskyart #Taos

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Michael
Michael
@mdstamper.bsky.social
1 year ago
Joseph Henry Sharp reportedly painted this quarter-length portrait of Lena in profile at the Zuni Reservation in McKinley County, New Mexico in the summer of 1904. Her solemn expression yet focused eyes shows us a beautiful young woman wearing a royal blue and white garment. Her dark hair is cropped short on the sides with long hair in back beautifully tied-up in a matching blue ribbon. Little is known about Lena, but Sharp captures the curve of her rounded chin, full red lips, fleshy nose, rouge-tinted cheeks, and manicured dark eyebrows in a way that is both relaxed and dignified. Sharp was a charter member of the Taos Society of Artists in New Mexico and his favorite subject was native persons and their fast-disappearing lifestyle. Sharp drew and painted with a facility and accuracy that is commonly regarded as ethnographic as well as artistic. Sharp lost his hearing when he was young and was forced to leave school. James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales captured the lonely boy's imagination, as did a passing glimpse of an Indian tribe waylaid in West Virginia en route to Washington. His parents recognized his interests and talents, and sent him to study art at the McMicken School of Design in Cincinnati, where the artistic climate of the bustling city energized and inspired him. He trained in Europe for a brief period, and after returning to America, devoted close to eighty years of his life to painting Native Americans throughout the western states. In 1901, the Smithsonian Institution acquired eleven of Sharp's portraits, a watershed moment in the artist's professional life. For two decades, he divided his time between teaching at the Cincinnati Art Academy, sketching in the Northwest, and summering at Taos, where he finally established a permanent residence in 1912.

Joseph Henry Sharp reportedly painted this quarter-length portrait of Lena in profile at the Zuni Reservation in McKinley County, New Mexico in the summer of 1904. Her solemn expression yet focused eyes shows us a beautiful young woman wearing a royal blue and white garment. Her dark hair is cropped short on the sides with long hair in back beautifully tied-up in a matching blue ribbon. Little is known about Lena, but Sharp captures the curve of her rounded chin, full red lips, fleshy nose, rouge-tinted cheeks, and manicured dark eyebrows in a way that is both relaxed and dignified. Sharp was a charter member of the Taos Society of Artists in New Mexico and his favorite subject was native persons and their fast-disappearing lifestyle. Sharp drew and painted with a facility and accuracy that is commonly regarded as ethnographic as well as artistic. Sharp lost his hearing when he was young and was forced to leave school. James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales captured the lonely boy's imagination, as did a passing glimpse of an Indian tribe waylaid in West Virginia en route to Washington. His parents recognized his interests and talents, and sent him to study art at the McMicken School of Design in Cincinnati, where the artistic climate of the bustling city energized and inspired him. He trained in Europe for a brief period, and after returning to America, devoted close to eighty years of his life to painting Native Americans throughout the western states. In 1901, the Smithsonian Institution acquired eleven of Sharp's portraits, a watershed moment in the artist's professional life. For two decades, he divided his time between teaching at the Cincinnati Art Academy, sketching in the Northwest, and summering at Taos, where he finally established a permanent residence in 1912.

"Lena - Zuni Girl" by Joseph Henry Sharp (American) - Oil on canvas / 1904 - Phoebe A. Hearst Museum (Berkeley, California) #womeninart #Zuni #art #NativeAmerican #HearstMuseum #painting #artwork #womensart #portrait #JosephHenrySharp #portraitofawoman #poc #indigenous #beauty #AmericanArt #bskyart

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