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Gustave Baumann, The Shalako, 1923, oil on board with hand carved wooden frame, 37 5/8 × 61 5/8…
The Shalako
Gustave Baumann, The Shalako, 1923, oil on board with hand carved wooden frame, 37 5/8 × 61 5/8…
Gustave Baumann, The Shalako, 1923, oil on board with hand carved wooden frame, 37 5/8 × 61 5/8 × 1 1/2 in. Collection of the New Mexico Museum of Art. Gift of Jane Baumann, 1976 (3409.23P) Photo by Blair Clark © New Mexico Museum of Art

The Shalako

Artist (American, born Germany, 1881 - 1971)
Date1923
Mediumoil on board with hand carved wooden frame
DimensionsImage: 35 1/4 × 59 1/2 in. (89.5 × 151.1 cm)
Frame: 37 5/8 × 61 5/8 × 1 1/2 in. (95.6 × 156.5 × 3.8 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineGift of Jane Baumann, 1976
Object number3409.23P
DescriptionAn image of the Shalako ceremony featuring 3 large Shalako figures at the left. These figures have a feathered headdress and masks with long beaks. In front of the Shalako are three groups of people dressed in black. In the right foreground are six Clown dancers that are wearing masks, loin clothes, and neck scarves. The foreground has five figures and beige hills. In the back ground are large green mountains.
Text Entries
Frame and support cannot be removed from each other
The Shalako is a series of Zuni dances and ceremonies which takes place as close as possible to both the full moon and the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, signaling the beginning of the year for the Zunis. The Zuni word ‘Shalako’ refers to several distinct things: the ceremony; the costumed figures of the dance; and the spirits they personify.  Leaving the old behind, the Shalako dance asks for blessings in the new year. When Gustave Baumann came to the Southwest, he became interested in Native art and ceremonies, often including dances and other such events into his paintings and prints. He most often drew his compositions for ceremonial subject matter from life sketches he made in person at Pueblo dances.

 

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