147 Walking Bear, Cree Indian

SOLD
Winning Bid Undisclosed
This item SOLD at 2016 Apr 02 @ 13:07UTC-7 : PDT/MST
Category Art
Auction Currency USD
Start Price 1,250.00 USD
Estimated at 2,500.00 - 4,500.00 USD
Walking Bear, Cree Indian
Artist: Reiss, WinoldDate of Birth: 1886-1953
Medium: Pastel
Dimensions: 29 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches
Signed: Signed lower right
Verso:

Winold Reiss was born in Germany. His father was a portrait painter and when he was young, Reiss accompanied his father as he traveled throughout the countryside sketching peasants. In 1913, Reiss emigrated to the United States, where he found the ethnic diversity of the nation inspirational. He traveled the West and became fascinated with Native Americans, painting some 250 portraits, especially of Blackfeet Indians, trekked through Mexico doing pastels and watercolors of revolutionary figures and— back in New York—became one of the chief chroniclers of the Harlem Renaissance. Reiss also had a flair for large scale works; he executed a number of important mural commissions and designed the interiors of hotels, restaurants, and theatres. In Walking Bear, Cree Indian Reiss captures the strength and sensitivity of his sitter, creating a striking design out of Walking Bear’s braids and kerchief and capturing the essence of the man with a superb grasp of anatomy matched by strong lines and form.