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拍品专文
Born in Karlsruhe, Germany, Winold Reiss received training from his artist father and later studied at the Royal Academy in Munich. Lured by a fascination with the novels of James Fenimore Cooper, Reiss emigrated to the United States in 1913 with the goal of painting Native American subjects. Reiss began his career in New York City, saving money through a variety of artistic pursuits including teaching, interior design, mural painting and portraiture. In 1919, Reiss was finally able to afford to go West, visiting the Blackfeet Indians in Glacier National Park, Montana. From 1920-40 Reiss made regular summer visits to the reservation from New York—painting dozens of portraits on trips sponsored by the Great Northern Railroad, ingratiating himself to the locals and eventually earning the honorary name “Beaver Child." As epitomized by The Drummers, Reiss utilized a bold, colorful style of portraiture which ranks unique among his contemporaries.
The present work was published in the Great Northern Railway’s 1933 calendar advertising their Glacier National Park route. The railway served as the key sponsor for Reiss’ travels to Glacier, covering expenses and providing lodging for both his work and his summer art school—the latter of which illustrated the present work as an advertisement. The company had right of first refusal to acquire Reiss’ paintings at reduced prices as well as access to reproduction rights for their marketing. As a result, the Great Northern Railway used Reiss’ paintings on a variety of marketing materials such as calendars, menus and playing cards—further spreading his imagery throughout the country.
The Drummers depicts the three Blackfeet Indians Sure Chief, Buffalo Body and Heavy Breast, respectively. Rendered with dazzling hues and luscious, velvet textures, the painting demonstrates both Reiss’ artistic polish and the sincere empathy he held for his sitters. Indeed, in 1927 Reiss declared, “It has always been my ambition to spend years Out West painting the American Indian. What finer thing could one do for these brave fine people, who are so rapidly disappearing, than to go out to their reservations, live with them, study them and preserve their wonderful features and types?” (as quoted in J.C. Stewart, To Color American: Portraits by Winold Reiss, exhibition catalogue, Washington, D.C, 1989, p. 70)
In the 1930s, the famous Manhattan restaurant chain Longchamps commissioned Reiss to design the interiors for ten of their locations, where he also displayed some of his works. Longchamps purchased The Drummers in 1935 and hung the work in the main dining room of their Madison Avenue and 59th Street location.
The present work was published in the Great Northern Railway’s 1933 calendar advertising their Glacier National Park route. The railway served as the key sponsor for Reiss’ travels to Glacier, covering expenses and providing lodging for both his work and his summer art school—the latter of which illustrated the present work as an advertisement. The company had right of first refusal to acquire Reiss’ paintings at reduced prices as well as access to reproduction rights for their marketing. As a result, the Great Northern Railway used Reiss’ paintings on a variety of marketing materials such as calendars, menus and playing cards—further spreading his imagery throughout the country.
The Drummers depicts the three Blackfeet Indians Sure Chief, Buffalo Body and Heavy Breast, respectively. Rendered with dazzling hues and luscious, velvet textures, the painting demonstrates both Reiss’ artistic polish and the sincere empathy he held for his sitters. Indeed, in 1927 Reiss declared, “It has always been my ambition to spend years Out West painting the American Indian. What finer thing could one do for these brave fine people, who are so rapidly disappearing, than to go out to their reservations, live with them, study them and preserve their wonderful features and types?” (as quoted in J.C. Stewart, To Color American: Portraits by Winold Reiss, exhibition catalogue, Washington, D.C, 1989, p. 70)
In the 1930s, the famous Manhattan restaurant chain Longchamps commissioned Reiss to design the interiors for ten of their locations, where he also displayed some of his works. Longchamps purchased The Drummers in 1935 and hung the work in the main dining room of their Madison Avenue and 59th Street location.