Notes: This early painting in Scholder’s iconic Indian Series reveals the artist’s masterful ability to incorporate cultural tradition while expanding upon and innovating contemporary artistic practices. Scholder began his Indian Series in the late 1960s while teaching at IAIA. A few years later Dartmouth College launched a mission to educate Native American students. Four important Native artists were brought to campus as artists-in-residence. Fritz Scholder was the first in 1973. 

Indian with Tomahawk is a seminal work that lead Scholder into his acclaimed Dartmouth series by less than a year. The grand painting depicts a Native warrior in traditional garb occupying two worlds, a warrior’s Native past and a modern Western present. The poised figure wears an impressive Buffalo Horn Headdress with full eagle feather trailer, an ermine pelt draped over his right shoulder, a breastplate and animal medicine pouch clasped in his left hand with avian head. The figure is completed with leggings and a presentation pipe tomahawk resting in the crook of his arm symbolizing both war and peace.

While clearly depicting historical nuances the artwork parallels important artistic influences of Scholder’s time. Pop art, color fields, abstract expressionism… the figure and his accoutrements are traditional in reference yet postmodern and expressionistic in execution. His color choices further symbolize this dichotomy of time and place. Nature’s earth browns, ominous blacks and pure whites are met with the pop of present day - orange and purple. Scholder even captured the warrior’s face in such a way as to reference one of his greatest artistic influences, Francis Bacon. The figure’s posture is huge, powerfully leaning in as if confronting an immense force, perhaps the challenge of living in two worlds. Playing with the push and pull of this polarity, Scholder is able to animate his creative voice in a compelling and unique manner.

Fritz Scholder’s ability to recreate the narrative of the contemporary Native American experience while paying homage to the past has earned him the highest recognition as not only a Native American luminary but a contemporary master artist. This painting embodies that balance.