S. Wilson (American, active 21st century). "Bandelier" oil on canvas, 2007. Signed on lower right. A stunning painting of Bandelier National Monument, a sacred sight in the American Southwest that preserves the territory and homes of the Ancestral Puebloans (also known as the Anasazi). Accounting for more than 33,000 acres of breathtaking land graced by canyons and mesas, Bandelier also preserves cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, and surviving masonry walls of these indigenous peoples. Wilson captured the magic of this land and sky with a brilliant palette of russet, sienna, azure, spring green, chocolate brown, and white hues as well as a modernist eye for composition. Beyond this, a singular tall cross at the center of the painting indicates the Spaniard's introduction of Christianity to this region. A fascinating painting, replete with impressive artistry, technique, and historical context. Size: 24" L x 30" W (61 cm x 76.2 cm)

Some historical/cultural context from PBS's People & Ideas: The Pueblos, "Here in the brooding desert and high mesas, two sacred worlds collided: the Catholicism of the Spanish friars and the spirit-filled religion of the indigenous peoples known as the Pueblos…The Pueblos first encountered Franciscan friars in the 15th century, but in 1630 the friars began a period of intense mission building and conversion. Thousands of Pueblos converted, but most did not abandon their old religion; they simply added new elements to it. Jesus and the saints were grafted onto the Native pantheon. The Virgin Mary morphed into the Corn Mother. The kachina cult merged with the cults of the saints. Prayer sticks became conflated with the cross. As Porter Swentzell explains, 'The Pueblos were not closed, saying, 'Our way is not the only right way.' When the Church came they said, 'Hey, we'll go to your Mass and listen to what you have to say.' And so the Spanish thought that was a willing acceptance of Catholicism.'

But for the friars, there was only one true religion: the Catholic faith. When persuasion failed to get the Pueblo people to abandon their old rituals, the friars reverted to coercion and force. Pueblos who did not attend Mass were punished. Kivas, places of Pueblo worship, were violated and sacred objects smashed. In the friars' view, their all-consuming goal of saving souls justified these extremely harsh means.

By the 1670s, Pueblos began to stage sporadic revolts. The Spanish cracked down, rounding up Native shamans, whipping them and choosing several for execution. Following the arrest and hanging of spiritual leaders, one of those leaders, a man named Po'pay, organized an uprising. Not all Pueblo communities chose to participate, but those that did killed 400 Spanish and 21 friars. The Spanish fled, and the Pueblos could once again honor their kachinas, revere the Corn Mother, restore their faith in Native shamans and honor the religious practices that their ancestors had sustained for generations.

Twelve years later, the Spanish friars returned; this time, they were more willing to accommodate Native religious rituals and practices."

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

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#173233

Signed by the artist on the lower right. Title, signature, and date handwritten on stretchers on verso. Painting is overall excellent save very minor scuffs and stains that are difficult to see.