334

William Herbert Dunton

(1878 - 1936)

On the Mesa, ca. 1916

oil on canvas
signed lower left: W. Herbert Dunton

This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of works by W. Herbert Dunton being compiled by Michael R. Grauer
12 x 16 in. (30.5 x 40.6 cm.), frame: 21 x 25 x 3 3/8 in. (53.3 x 63.5 x 8.6 cm.)

  • Provenance: Private Collection, Ohio
    Private Collection, California
  • Exhibited:
    Taos Society of Artists: Second Annual Exhibition, Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe, NM, August 1916

    Note: According to Michael R. Grauer, "[This] painting shows all of the characteristics of Dunton's new plein air style, with bright prismatic colors and heavy impasto. Formerly, a studio painter, when he moved to Taos in 1915 he became an outdoor painter. As Scribner's Magazine noted in August 1916, '[Dunton] believes in painting direct from nature and spares himself no trouble to get his effects, setting forth at times with models and half a dozen ponies... to paint them in a wind storm, with his canvas anchored against the stiff breeze by big boulders.'"

    We wish to thank Michael R. Grauer for his kind assistance in the cataloguing of this work

    Staff Notes:
    Prior to his first visit to Taos in 1912, W. Herbert "Buck" Dunton had already established himself as a prominent illustrator for national periodicals. His artistic focus during this period centered on the open range, cowboys, and the customs and traditions of Native peoples. This thematic preoccupation was deeply rooted in the vast experiences he gained while traveling throughout the American West.

    Ernest L. Blumenschein, who Dunton studied with at the Art Students League, recognized Dunton's affinity for the Western landscape and lifestyle and encouraged him to move to Taos, New Mexico. Dunton made the transition in 1914, and shortly after, abandoned illustration in favor of painting. The following year, he became one of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists.

    "On the Mesa" epitomizes this transformative period in Dunton's career, and the work was exhibited at the Taos Society of Artists' Second Annual Exhibition at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe in 1916 (source: Michael R. Grauer). The vibrant hues of the horses and landscape evoke the expansive openness of the Southwestern landscape, while the untamed horses symbolize the freedom and resilience that defined life in the American West.
  • Condition: Painting is in good condition overall.
    Scattered in-painting in upper left perimeter and various points in sky and between forelegs of horse only visible under blacklight. Center horse is clean and bright.


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November 9, 2024 1:00 PM MST
Santa Fe, NM, US

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