Post by Charnell
Quincy Tahoma, the Navajo artist, loved horses. I mean he LOVED horses. When he began to earn a little money from selling his drawings through the Santa Fe Indian School’s store, he saved up and bought a saddle for his dorm room. No horse, just a saddle!
Not having a mount of his own, he sometimes cared for the horses of a Canyon Road artist whose main residence was in New York. Tahoma loved to ride horses, he loved to watch them run, and he loved to draw them.
The Roundup (1956), Courtesy of Clifford Brito
Quincy Tahoma’s paintings spoke volumes about the horses’ speed, their strength, their beauty, their spirit and even their color, the latter two reflecting Navajo mythology.
Buffalo Hunt, riding Spirit Horse (1947) Private Owner
In her book They Sang For Horses: The Impact of the Horse on Navajo & Apache Folklore
Clarke explains that the notion that the sun or moon could be described as riding a horse does not appear incongruous to the Navajo. According to Navajo mythology,”Sun possessed entire herds of horses in each of the colors of the cardinal directions“, which she later identifies as white (east), turquoise or blue (south,), yellow (west) and spotted (north). Clarke takes the reader through a delightful discussion of the horses’ colors and their significance through the eyes of a youth making a mythological journey through Sun’s corral. “The youth could see also that rainbows formed an arch over the sky around the blue horses while blue swallows fluttered over them, doubtless empowering the horses with the speed and endurance they contained in their blue feathers.”
While white, black, and palomino horses are popular among Navajo due to their roles associated with mythological deities, the spotted horse is the favorite of folk heroes and guardian beings – those common folk of Navajo myths and tales. It’s the working man’s horse of choice.
Two horses racing, Courtesy of Jean Wallace McSwain
Quincy Tahoma was a master at honoring his native beliefs and traditions through his art, and perhaps we now have more insight into why he included swallows in almost all of his horse paintings.
Note from Vera: There is more about Tahoma and his love of horses, in Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist, including photographs of Tahoma riding a horse and the story of an influential woman in his childhood who was a great horsewoman. We are sharing here just three of the more than 170 illustrations in the book. You can see the entire book soon, so be sure to preorder in the right-hand column.
Twitter: reellifejane
says:
What gorgeous paintings. I’m really hoping this book develops into a movie deal, so I can interview you for the Reel Life With Jane site. Hmmm… who can we get to play Tahoma…
Interesting, Charmell/Vera! Thanks.
Jennifer wants you to see..Castaway Cay- Fun Stop for Families on the Disney Dream Cruise
Love these incredible works of art — and the stories behind them. Thanks for making me aware of an artist I hadn’t been familiar with.
Ruth Pennebaker wants you to see..A Women’s Movie About Men
Jane: Want to be our agent? We’re all for the idea! We want to get bit parts as either clueless tourists from back East, or the society matrons who fought for American Indian rights in Santa Fe. (Are you listening Robert Redford?)
Thanks, Ruth. The stories just keep coming. I regret to say that we did not know the story of the swallows when we wrote the book. Here’s hoping we’ll have a 2nd edition for additions. (Vera)
What beautiful horse paintings. And the stories about Quincy Tahoma are fascinating. I can’t wait to read this book.
Donna Hull wants you to see..Why Should Boomers Care About The Bloggies
Twitter: GoodFoodStories
says:
It’s amazing how different mythologies carry similar ideas – I’m thinking of the German artist Franz Marc, who was part of the Blue Rider movement. He painted blue and red horses, yellow cows, etc, with each color corresponding to a different spiritual connection. (I’m not explaining this well, but I love the idea of these beliefs crossing space and time!)
Casey wants you to see..CC and BF are Cavemen
Casey, thanks for your astute observation. I’d simply add to your crossing space and time that beliefs also cross cultures.
So interesting. And it’s my understanding that horses are one of the hardest animals to draw.
Kristen wants you to see..Molten Chocolate Cakes
He worked hard at getting it right. According to his friends, all his life he tried to improve. Since horses were his main subject, he went from some early versions that were more flat and static to the marvelous three-dimensional beauties he later drew. We talk in the book about his transition form “cartoonish” buffalo to realistic ones after he saw the real thing.
These are amazing illustrations.