Fritz Scholder Poster, Fred Harvey Indian (1975)

  

Signed in pencil at bottom. Jack O'Grady Galleries, Inc, 1975. A fabulous poster of a standing Native American man in traditional clothing and accoutrements by Fritz Scholder.

Fritz Scholder created powerful depictions of Native Americans that depart from stereotypes. Interestingly, although Scholder was enrolled as a member of the Luiseno tribe, he oftentimes claimed that he was not actually Indian. Nevertheless, his art demonstrated a refreshing rejection of sentimental, romantic portrayals of indigenous peoples. In his words, I have painted the Indian real, not red.

" Size (image not including margins): 26" L x 22" W (66 cm x 55.9 cm) Size (matte): 38.5" L x 32 W (97.8 cm x 81.3 cm). Fritz Scholder based his imagery on actual historical research. For example, Scholder revealed that his painting of a Native American wrapped in an American flag, an image that has become iconic, was based on 19th-century prison photographs of Indians dressed in surplus flags in lieu of their confiscated tribal regalia.

In addition to the meaningful political messages of this art, Scholder's style, with its kinetic brushwork and vibrant colors, have truly set him apart. Various art historians have described Scholder's style as a fusion of Pop Art and Abstract Expressionism. Scholder, however, referred to himself an "American expressionist" who celebrated paint and what it can do. In his words, Paint drips, it smears. It's not because I'm trying to fool anyone into thinking this is a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional surface..