Indian Hunter

or
[Taos Indian Hunter]; Indian Hunter. (Early Morning); Indian Hunter, Early Morning

Generously provided by Denver Art Museum

Over the years Sharp held solo exhibitions in Pasadena, and in a 1927 exhibit of forty-two works, Indian Paintings, this work is thought to have appeared at the Schroeder Galleries in that city. Titled Indian Hunter. (Early Morning), the canvas fits the name well. A hunter with bow and arrow crouches near a rock outcropping and aims at some unseen prey. The strong raking rays of dawn highlight the figure and his immediate surroundings.

A reviewer for the Pasadena Star-News praised the painting for its quality as a "heroic" narrative, expressive of "individual sturdiness of manhood and character." (2/8/27) This may not have been Sharp's primary intention, but it may have been helpful in attracting potential male buyers.

The figure was photographed separately by Sharp (related image 221a) and later inserted onto a landscape backdrop painted separately outdoors. This is an example of Sharp’s painting methods and was a common practice among his fellow Taos artists, especially E. Martin Hennings.

Peter H. Hassrick

Artist: Joseph Henry Sharp
Date: ca. 1925; [1925-1935]
Catalogue Number: 221
Medium: oil on canvas
Inscriptions: LL: JHSHARP

Dimensions: 38 x 50 1/2 in.
Credit Line: Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
Accession Number: 2014.27
Subjects: Indian, Taos, hunters, sunlight

The artist; [?]; Dr. George C. Peck; present owner

This is probably the large painting that appeared in the TSA traveling show in 1925 at the Young's Art Galleries in Chicago, titled Indian Hunter (offered at $1,050), at the Traxel Art Galleries, Cincinnati in late 1925 and in Pasadena at The Schroeder Galleries in February 1927, Indian Paintings. In the latter venue, it was titled Indian Hunter. (Early Morning).

Indian Hunter

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