c1950 Original Watercolor - Kiowa Artist Lee Tsa toke (Tsa To Kee [Hunting Horse]/Lee Monett Tsa Toke), Kiowa, 1929-1985 Anadarko, Oklahoma
Title "Breaking Camp/Plains"
It is rare to find an original piece of Mid 20th century Western Native American Art worthy of being in a museum collection or private collection. This is unusual in that it is landscape view with a panorama action scene containing beautiful vibrant colors. Most examples of his art is of a single individual but this has lots of action. The Smithsonian has one of his original watercolors Titled, "End of the Trail" in their National Museum of the American Indian. It is visible on line.
Kiowa artist Lee Monette Tsatoke was self taught, the son of Kiowa artist Monroe Tsatoke, and both are recognized in books on American Indian painting: Dorothy Dunn's American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas (1968); Jeanne Snodgrass's American Indian Painters: A Biographical Directory (1968); Patrick Lester's The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters (1995).
CONDITION:
The watercolor painting view area measures 14" x 9 3/4" in the exposed area within mat opening (I did not remove it from the mat so I do not know the true dimensions of the art paper.) This appears to be the original wood frame, mat and backing board.
This was acquired from Bonhams Antiques in Naples FL a few years ago where many Estate homes of retirees are located. There is no glass. My impression is that this may have been framed by the Kiowa artist for sale to the tourists back in the day and probably constructed economically without glass using materials available to him.
Including the framed dimensions it is 17" x 19". Please see the pictures. This is beautifully executed Native American art, very colorful. This appears to now be 50 to 70 years old, (the artist passed in 1985). and the mat shows some toning discoloration of age and water drops but I don't know if those were due to the artist technique dealing with his water color painting supplies back when it was executed. To me the artwork does not appear to have been mistreated or allowed to be wet I just think that in it's history it was bought as a western souvenir and not much attention was given to it and it has now reached it's stage of being appreciated for its rarity, its art message and and it's beauty. If the original framing and mat were added by the artist, I don't think one would want to replace those elements but perhaps just lightly clean the frame? or not.
Written on the back is "Moving Camp/ plains". "An Original watercolor by a self taught Kiowa Artist" Lee Tsa toke Anadarko, OKLA"
From the Internet:
The Carnegie Herald, Wed., Dec. 11, 1985
Lee Monett Tsatoke, Sr., Son of the famous Monroe, Tsatoke.
Lee Monett Tsatoke, Sr., of Anadarko passed away Thursday, December 5, in the Carnegie Nursing Home at the age of 56 years old. He was born March 21, 1929 south of Mountain View. He married Donna Jean Moppope on November 27, 1948 in Chickasha.
Lee Tsatokes' father Monroe Tsatoke, was born on 29 September 1904 in Oklahoma Territory, near present day Saddle Mountain, Oklahoma and became a Kiowa Scout and an artist known as one of the Kiowa Five. Lee Tsatokes' grandmother was a European-American captive.
Monroe Tsatoke never received art instruction until Susan Peters, the Kiowa agency field matron, arranged for Mrs. Willie Baze Lane, an artist from Chickasha, Oklahoma, to teach painting classes for young Kiowas in Anadarko. Recognizing the talent of some of the young artists, Peters convinced Swedish-American artist, Oscar Jacobson, director of the University of Oklahoma's School of Art, to accept the Kiowa students into a special program at the school.
Kiowa Five - The Kiowa Five included six artists: Spencer Asah, James Auchiah, Jack Hokeah, Stephen Mopope, Lois Smoky, and Monroe Tsatoke. James Auchiah was the last to join the group in 1926.
The Kiowa Five's first major breakthrough into the international fine arts world occurred at the 1928 First International Art Exposition in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Dr. Jacobson arranged for their work to be shown in several other countries and for Kiowa Art, a portfolio of pochoir prints of artists' paintings, to be published in France. (pochoir is the French word for stencil and was a method of making colorful prints in the 1920's)
Monroe Tsatoke took additional art classes at Bacone College and worked at Indian City USA in Anadarko as a guide.
In 1924, Tsatoke married Martha Kooma. The couple had four children; Jewell, Lee Monette, Ross Maker, and John Thomas and Lee. Lee Tsatoke also became a respected Kiowa artist. Monroe and Martha lived in Red Rock, Oklahoma. Besides painting, Tsatoke also farmed, sang at Kiowa ceremonials and participated in fancy war dance.
He was diagnosed with tuberculosis and joined the Native American Church. He painted about his religious experiences and is credited with creating stylized representations of symbols associated with the Church, such as the water, birds, and feathers.