Jessica Crabtree

Charles Banks Wilson (born 1918) is an Oklahoma artist famed for his Native American portraits, historical commissions, and mural art. He started drawing at an early age and received training at the Chicago Art Institute, quickly finding work as an apprentice illustrator.

His most popular works are the official commissioned portraits of Oklahoma legends such as Will Rogers and Jim Thorpe, part of the collection of the Oklahoma Capitol. One of the first pieces to earn him wide acclaim was his 1941 lithograph Freedom’s Warrior, modeled after a Comanche code talker, and later re-created as an oil painting.

Wilson’s exhibit page at the University of Arkansas, Celebrating Native America, says:

Images such as “Cherokee Matriarch,” “Katie ‘Osage’ Cheyenne,” and “Osage Orator” reveal Native Americans caught in the transition between native and white America. Wilson says this transition “was not a popular theme in anyone’s opinion” because “Americans wanted the Indian to remain a nostalgic keepsake, committed forever to chasing the buffalo across the boundless prairies.”

Wilson admits he was a bit baffled when people asked him “why I was making social comments.” He says simply, “I was just painting what my eyes saw.”

“Search for the Purebloods”

His most ambitious project was a catalog of portrait drawings of pure-blooded Native Americans. The resulting odyssey spanned fifty years of work and portrayals of over a hundred individuals, many of whom were the last individuals of their nation to have non-mixed heritage.

Wilson’s close attention to accuracy and solid, intuitive technique – combined with his good nature – earned him a strong rapport with his subjects, who willingly modeled for his portraits. In return, he promised never to sell their likenesses and instead donated the finished original collection to the Gilcrease Museum. The published edition, Search for the Native American Purebloods, was released by the University of Oklahoma Press in 1983.

Wilson was the subject of a public television documentary released in 2006 interviewing the artist and highlighting his major career achievements. (Watch an excerpt here.)

He has exhibited his work in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Museum, and received countless prestigious awards for his art, historical research, and educational & cultural contributions.

University of Arkansas: Charles Banks Wilson’s Celebrating Native America Exhibit

Charles Banks Wilson exhibit at the Will Rogers Museum

July 26, 1796: Birth of painter George Catlin

George Catlin was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, into the large family of a Revolutionary War veteran. His mother’s and grandmother’s accounts of their experiences as Indian captives may have sparked his early fascination with Native Americans that later became a lifelong passion. As a young man he abandoned a law career to accompany expeditions researching and documenting indigenous peoples throughout North and South America.

During the 1830s, he traveled extensively through the Midwest and the Great Plains, where he spent weeks and months at a time among the Indian nations of the Mississippi and Missouri river valleys – becoming one of the first Europeans to do so. The notes and drawings he compiled during this tour formed the basis of his collection of documentary paintings, which he later published in a two-volume work entitled Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians. He amassed a huge collection of artifacts and kept a detailed record of the customs and appearances of the Native American peoples he encountered. His total output consisted of more than 600 original paintings and over 700 drawings and sketches, making him one of the premier painters of Native Americana.

Catlin attempted unsuccessfully to sell his portfolio to the United States government as a public historical exhibit; eventually he sold his original works to a private collector. He spent much of his later career traveling, writing memoirs, and marketing his work in European tours. He died in New Jersey in 1872; his works were later donated to the Smithsonian Museum.

About His Work

George Catlin is certainly not a painter who became famous solely on account of his artistic skills. In technical terms, his works range from mediocre to downright primitive, as some critics have labeled it. What drove his career was an almost obsessive desire to portray Native Americans from across the continent in the most original setting possible.

Like Edward Curtis, he felt compelled to portray the appearance and customs of peoples whom he felt were a “vanishing race.” In some cases, this proved to be fateful; for example, his extensive work among the Mandan barely preceded a smallpox epidemic that reduced their number to a mere handful. As a result, Catlin’s depictions of the Mandan are valuable today because no artist after him was able to produce such a successful pictorial record of them.

Above: The White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas; Below: Mandan Buffalo Dance

There is much controversy over the duplicity in Catlin’s portrayals of Indians. On one hand, his genuine appreciation of Native Americans fueled his eagerness to preserve their cultural record; on the other, he stooped to using white models in Indian apparel for some paintings, and staging performing acts similar to later wild west shows as part of his marketing scheme. Both of these contributed to spreading and reinforcing damaging stereotypes that are still prevalent today.

Right: Sha-kó-ka (“Mint”), a Mandan girl (1832)

The fact remains that his personal mentality in regards to American Indians was far ahead of his time. Whatever his motives in promoting his own work, and his means for marketing it, his profound respect for the cultures he encountered was remarkable, and would have still been uncommon a generation or more ahead of his time.

His confidence in the character of Indian society as a whole was boundless. “The very use of the word savage, as it is applied in its general sense, I am inclined to believe is an abuse of the word, and the people to whom it is applied,” Catlin asserted. Towards the end of his career, he remarked, “No Indian ever betrayed me, struck me with a blow, or stole from me a shilling’s worth of my property.” And this at a time when Indians were still perceived largely as inferior humans predisposed toward aggression and brutality. (continue reading…)

July 15, 1606: Birth of Rembrandt van Rijn

As far as I can remember, Rembrandt was the first great artist I got to know. I recall being a toddler with a big book in my lap, gazing at Rembrandt’s deep, dark, thickly textured scenes and the garishly-dressed figures with penetrating stares, and thinking, “This must be the guy who invented painting.”

Belshazzar’s Feast, 1638

I wasn’t quite right on that score, but few artists – and few great masters – ever achieved the status that Rembrandt did. His talent was and still is phenomenal and his style completely unmistakable. The strikingly dramatic chiaroscuro that first caught my eye, and the oil paints slapped on in heavy layers make his work completely original. Despite this fact, his output is widely varied – ranging from the Renaissance style of his earlier pieces, to the photorealism of the Dutch and Flemish schools, to the strongly Impressionist flavor of his later works.

The interesting thing is, much of his phenomenal ability may have come from a form of disability – similar to Einstein’s abnormal brain anatomy. He is believed to have suffered from a syndrome known as “stereo blindness” which causes a person to see three-dimensional objects in two dimensions. Researchers believe that rather than being a handicap, this may have facilitated his ability to transfer images to paper or canvas – a process which normally inhibits the average person when first learning to draw. (continue reading…)

Bama’s career reads like a cross between that of Norman Rockwell and Charles Marion Russell. Born 1926 in Manhattan, his early career paralleled that of Rockwell (as a commercial artist and illustrator, including work with the Saturday Evening Post). But like Russell, he became a “child of the West” after moving to Wyoming in the 60′s to be closer to the subjects he desired to portray.

Since then he has become a living legend of Western art. His extensive portfolio covers nearly 50 years of work in capturing the iconography of Western lore, from cowboys to mountain men, in gorgeous life-like realism. He is one of the most renowned painters of Native American portraits (which makes up a sizable share of his portfolio), generally painted from live models in historical attire. One of the things I appreciate most about his work, aside from his skill in realism, is the historical integrity and his no-nonsense, un-romanticized treatment of the subjects.

“James Bama’s modern realism approaches the larger-than-life romance of the West from a new angle. The subjects of his portraits are real people, doing real work, with the history of generations past written in their faces and the surrounding landscapes. ”

Profile from The Greenwich Workshop

JAMES BAMA: Gallery and Artist Profile from The Greenwich Workshop

There are so many stunning paintings in his portfolio I had a hard time choosing which ones to feature in this post, so I’ve included just a few of my favorites (click images for larger view).

“Young Plains Indian”

“Old Arapaho Storyteller”

“Little Fawn”

I found this pen and ink study of facial expressions done by Charles Le Brun (1619-1690), one of the premier artists of the French baroque. Each character sketch is labeled (in French) but the captions of course do not need translating. Click to see the full-size.

May 21, 1471: Birth of German Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer

Left: Self-Portrait, Oil on lime panel (1500)

Durer is most famous for his signature work – the ubiquitous “Praying Hands.” The story has it that they are the hands of his brother, who gave up his chance at an art career in order to provide for Albrecht’s training. Praying Hands, brush drawing on blue primed paper (c. 1508)

Whether or not the story is apocryphal, Durer did go on to become possibly the most influential artist of the Northern Renaissance. Durer’s style is characterized by painstaking attention to detail and a focused, dramatic approach to composition. His fascinating portfolio betrays him as a man with an open mind and a curious nature.

He was a prolific artist, and unlike his Italian contemporary Leonardo da Vinci, left behind an incredibly diverse collection of artwork in a wide range of mediums and subjects. Well over a thousand of his paintings, drawings, and etchings have survived to the present day.

Left: Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman,
Oil on elm panel (1505)

Right:
Head Study of a Man Aged 93, Brush drawing on primed paper (1521)

Like da Vinci, however, his most significant accomplishment lay in his ability as a draftsman. Living in Germany in the wake of the printing revolution, he used the crafts of woodcutting and engraving to capitalize on the potential of art reproduction as an industry, making him one the most widely published and esteemed artists of the Renaissance.

Web Gallery of Art – Online Museum Database: Albrecht Durer Biography and Gallery

Below: Wing of a Roller, watercolor/gouache on vellum (1512)
Right: Two Squirrels (1492)
Below right: Young Hare, watercolor and gouache (1502)

Putting Together an Art Portfolio

Professional artists and gallery owners alike would agree that one of the most important steps for an artist hoping to pursue an art career is making an art portfolio. If you plan on showing your work in a gallery or organizing an exhibit, you’ll need to have at least one copy ready. Here are a few tips on putting one together.

Presentation

The first thing you’ll need is something to put it in. Art supply stores usually offer ready-made portfolio kits but these can be considerably more expensive than buying the binders and sleeves yourself. You can get a very nice binder at an office supply store for only a few dollars along with a pack of clear plastic sleeves for prints of you artwork. Make sure to choose a binder with pockets and a window for displaying your business card.

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April 15, 1452: Birth of Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo was born near Florence, Italy and spent his career in various Italian city-states during the height of the Renaissance. He is the archetype of the “renaissance man” – inventor, engineer, architect, botanist, anatomist, mathematician, philosopher, musician, sculptor, and artist. His reputation has eclipsed even such contemporaries as Michelangelo and Raphael. And in recent times his legend has undergone something of a renaissance (no pun intended) thanks to Dan Brown.

Out of all his achievements, Leonardo is best remembered as a painter. The Mona Lisa and the Last Supper are still cultural icons and arguably the most famous paintings in the world.

His work largely contributed to the development of modern painting, especially portraiture. Ironically, few of his paintings have survived (not much over a dozen) and many of these are not entirely original due to the practice of sub-contracting work to talented apprentices who exchanged acknowledgment for experience under a master’s guidance.

The bulk of Leonardo’s artistic work consists of his extensive drawings of many subjects, ranging from character studies to anatomy to landscapes.

Leonardo: Master Draftsman – Interactive exhibit from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Quotes:

“A good painter is to paint two main things, men and the working of man’s mind.”

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”

“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.”

“The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.”

March 19, 1864: Birth of Western artist Charles Marion Russell

Raised in Missouri, Russell showed an early fascination with art and the West. He realized both at 16 when he left home to work on a Montana sheep ranch, where his obvious creative talent quickly drew attention. His early experiences in the northern Great Plains led to a prolific body of paintings depicting Western life and landscapes, including many portraits of the Piegan, Crow, Cree and other Indian nations before the onset of the reservation era.

Left: “A Cree Indian”
Above: “The Beauty Parlor”

By 1897 he opened a studio in Great Falls, Montana, where his career burgeoned under the shrewd management of his wife, Nancy. His works quickly became popular with collectors across the country, including celebrities such as Will Rogers. Like Rogers, he was renowned for his earthy wit and sincerity, and his deep attachment to the land he loved so much. He died in 1926 leaving thousands of paintings and sketches, bronze sculptures and carvings, and numerous literary works, all influential in memorializing the West in its Golden Age.

The Charles Marion Russell Museum
http://www.cmrussell.org/

Extensive online gallery of Russell’s paintings:
http://www.charlesmarionrussell.org/

“This is the only real American.
He fought and died for his country.
Today he has no vote
No country and is not a citizen
But history will not forget him.” (1914)

February 3, 1894: Birth of American painter & illustrator Norman Rockwell

Rockwell is undoubtedly one of America’s most beloved artists. Over his long career as a painter, portrait artist and illustrator, he produced many of the most iconic images of American life. His incredible talent and keen eye for human nature resulted in paintings that were sometimes heartwarming, sometimes provocative, and always outstanding. His role as cover illustrator for The Saturday Evening Post lasted nearly 50 years and produced many of his most outstanding pieces. He died in 1978 leaving over 4,000 original works.

He once said, “Some people have been kind enough to call me a fine artist. I’ve always called myself an illustrator. I’m not sure what the difference is. All I know is that whatever type of work I do, I try to give it my very best. Art has been my life.”
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Black Hawk and his son Whirling Thunder
Oil painting by John Wesley Jarvis, 1833: from the collection of the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa.

Black Hawk was one of the most important resistance leaders of the Sauk & Fox Indians, part of the Algonquian peoples of the Great Lakes/Upper Midwest region. The conflict named for him, the Black Hawk War of 1832, was fought like so many others over fraudulent seizures of Native American homelands. It resulted in the forced relocation of many Sauk as part of a large-scale program of Indian removals which included the notorious “Trail of Tears.”

After the war, the captive Black Hawk and his son, among others, were taken on a circuit show and exhibited to crowds of curious onlookers, often met with mocking and hostility. On the Midwestern frontier where the relationship between white settlers and Native Americans was a volatile issue, their presence was greeted with riots and lynch mobs. It is said that the public in some places began to object to the shameful display after seeing how both Black Hawk and his son endured the exhibits with such dignity.

During his captivity Black Hawk was interviewed for a biography which sold widely, and sat for several portraits, including the one shown above. He was eventually allowed to return to his people in what is today Iowa, where he died in 1838.

Jim Thorpe, the renowned Native American athlete and Olympic medalist, was of Sauk and Fox ancestry and descended from the same clan as Black Hawk. He is reported to have said that he was as proud of that as of any of the medals he had won.

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” (Leonardo da Vinci)