"The assurance of ancient kings"

The Artist-in-Residence this fall term was an American painter from Scottsdale, Ariz., Fritz Scholder. His impact the College community was exceptional, partly due to his skill and power as an artist, partly to his pleasant warmth and natural dignity of person, and partly because he was a Native American He was probably the first Native American to work here as an artistic as well as an educational force, and his presence, by happy coincidence, accompanied Dartmouth's renewal of commitment to the education of Native Americans.

The Hopkins Center Art Galleries held two exhibitions of Scholder's work. the first of recent paintings and the second of paintings done here in Hanover. There were seventeen of these and he called their "The Dartmouth Portraits."

In reviewing the first exhibition Douglas Wilson '75 said, "You suddenly come across such beautifully vivid color compositions that your eyes beg you to splurge and investigate," and he went on to quote Scholder: "The Indian artist must step from the arena of curios and trinkets into the world of fine objects and expressive painting."

This expressiveness can be seen in the simplicity, the tremendous space, and the slow solemn movement of "Indian with Flag." Investigating the vast sky, the barren plain, the tired horse, and the old brave with the flag on his lance, a viewer can feel exhilaration and sadness.

The "Dartmouth Portraits" went to New York in January for exhibition at the Cordier & Ekstrom Gallery. John Cmnaday of The New York Times pronounced the exhibition "a must" and Grace Glueck wrote, "[Scholder's] subjects assert themselves as Indians, as strong, dignified and unabashedly exotic.... In buckskins and blankets, beaded and feathered, they confront the viewer with the aristocratic assurance of ancient kings."

In the spirit of the quotation look at Portrait #17, which Dartmouth has acquired for its own collections. The background is a deep Dartmouth green: the Indian stands tall and strong; he is bathed in a brilliant light and is shielding his eyes with a feathered scepter. Here is a noble and prophetic man, an other voice crying in a wilderness.

Professor of Art, Emeritus Acting Director of Art Galleries

Dartmouth Portrait #10

Dartmouth Portrait #14

Dartmouth Portrait #17

Indian with Flag