Evening star., 1940-03-24
MuroIs by Indian Artists
Paintings Decorate Walls o]
Interior Department.

MuFOIS Dy In0i0n AFtIStS
Paintings Decorate Walls OF
interior Department.
On the walls of the recreation
room on the eighth floor of the In
terror Department (take the ele-
vator to the seventh floor and stairs
to the eighth are mural paintings
by four young Indians-Woodro
Crumbo, Kickapoo; Gerald Nailor,
Navajo; Allan c. Houser, Apache,
and Velino Herrera, Peublo, while
in the cafeteria in the basement are
other wall paintings by Steven
Mopope and James Auchiah, both
of whom are of the Kiowa tribe OF
Oklahoma. All have taken native
themes and have presented them
with exceptional force and individ-
uality. In fact, no murals in recent
years have been more individual
than these, nor more decorative. In
these particulars they fulfill excep-
tionally we'll the prime function Of
mural painting-that of suitability
to architectural design and orna-
mentations through effect.
To those who have watched for 10
or more years the development of
Indian painting in water color, these
murals are no surprise, but they
manifest to an astonishing degree
the power of the painters to adapt
their art to the required scale of
wall and the uses which the room
so inclosed is to serve.
These paintings have no back
grounds, hence they stand out stark
against a fiat surface, but they have
excellent color, strong accent and re-
markable action, which never seems
either frozen or tiresome in repe-
tition. Also, in most instances, they
represent the best side of Indian
life; ceremonials, hunting, the crafts,
rather than battle and warfare.
Especially we'll is it that the In
dians so speak for themselves and
in confutation of that which has
been spoken against them.
In the December and January
bulletins of the Office of Indian At
fairs, under the title, Indians at
Work." some of these murals are re-
produced and interesting comment
made on them and their painters.
For instance: The "a separate de-
signs which cover the 1900 square
feet of walls in the cafeteria and
recreation room of the Department
OF the Interior vary as much as the
tribes represented among the artists
themselves. Each artist has drawn
from the experiences of his own
tribe, expressed either in the SYM
bolic designs of the past, or in the
scenes of contemporary Indian life.
The Navajo, Gerald Nailor, shows
women weaving, scenes from the
healing ceremony, hunters chasing
bison and deer: while Velino Herrera
of the Pueblo de Zia, descended from
potters, weavers and silversmiths,
shows women of his tribe carrying
water in jars of their own fashion,
ing as we'll as scenes from ceremo-
mails. Houser, the great-grandson of
Geronimo, famous Apache, has COM
posed two pictorial groups-one en-
titled Apache Round Dance" and
the other Singing Love Songs"
Crumbo's Buffalo Hunt" is partic-
ularIly impressive, and, Interestingly
enough, confirms the correctness of
the sculptured group by the late
Henry Kirke Brown, which his
friends hoped might some day be
erected here in this city.
That all the Indians represented
by these murals attended Indian
Service schools at some time is worth
knowing. Three later attended the
university at Wichita, Kans., and
then studied under Oscar B. Jacob
son, head of the art department of
the University of Oklahoma. Others
were encouraged and assisted by
Kenneth Chapman of Santa Fe and
others who knew the race and rec
ognized the young artists talent.
1t was through Oscar B. jacobson
that the first water colors by Indians
were brought to public attention
through color reproduction-the
publication of which was in Nice.
France, not in this country. Then
came the publication of a series of
water colors by Indians of New Mex
leo. Art lovers in Denver began COL
lecting; gradually some of the paint
ings got into exhibitions; in the
Olympic International Exhibition
one of the prizes for water color
painting went to an Indian, and
now these six have unquestionably
taken their places among the mural
painters of America. Greatly are
those who nave assumed leadership
in this movement to be commended.