American Indian Dance

Currently not on view

American Indian Dance

1930s?

Tonita Peña (American Indian (San Ildefonso Pueblo), 1893–1949)

This work by Tonita Peña depicts ceremonial dance traditions that are integral to Pueblo spiritual and social practices. Repeated forms in this watercolor conveys the sonic rhythms of drum and voice that accompanied the dancers’ movements. Primarily sold to artists, policy reformers, anthropologists, and tourists interested in Pueblo art and culture, this watercolor also represents a type of visual expression that arose, in part, from the increased artistic encounters between American Indians and Anglo-Americans in the Southwest during the early twentieth century.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

American Indian Dance

Date:

1930s?

Artist:

Tonita Peña (American Indian (San Ildefonso Pueblo), 1893–1949)

Medium:

Opaque watercolor and graphite on gray card

Dimensions:

Sheet: 7 7/8 x 13 15/16 inches (20 x 35.4 cm)

Classification:

Drawings

Credit Line:

Gift of Carl Zigrosser, 1958

Accession Number:

1958-67-46

Geography:

Made in United States, North and Central America

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Currently not on view