GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The most progressive of the Taos painters, Victor Higgins studied in New York, Paris, and Munich before settling in New Mexico in 1914. In A Mountain Ceremony, the simplified shapes and uniform brushstrokes create a weave of color in which the diminutive figures of the Pueblo peoples are at one with the landscape, involved in a ritual that reaffirms their integral place in their cosmos.
Adapted from
DMA label copy (1934.1), n.d.
NOTES
Anonymous Gift- but documentation in file says the painting was donated by Mrs. S.I. Munger. This object will not link to the content essay on the Munger Fund because Mrs. Munger does not appear as an acquisition related constituent, nor does her name appear in the credit line.
Numerous bibliographic sources in file and lists of sources. TMS only has VictorHiggins.com and his individual entry in Texas Painters, Sculptors, and Graphic Artists (2000).
Changing date from c. 1930 to 1922-1923. This change is based on the following:
Correspondence in object file gives the date as c. 1921 based on comparative analysis with other Higgins works based on technique and known stylistic influences.
Letter from Dean A. Porter to Olive Bugbee (Curator, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum), 29 April 1976. "The painting was executed in 1922 or 1923." [Cites- Higgins, Victor. Pictures Painted During the Years 1922 and 1923," no. 25, priced at $1500. (Taken from a list compiled by Higgins in 1924)]
The correspondence also gives exhibition history that supports the assignment of an earlier date: (Both exhibitions added to Exhibition History field in TMS)
1924: "Special Exhibition of Paintings by Victor Higgins, A.N.A.," The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC, April 1-22, 1924, no. 8. [1]
1925: Art Room of the Public Library, Dubuque Art Association, Iowa, January 1925, no. 5 [1]
[1] These exhibitions are listed as supportive evidence for a creation date of 1922-1923 in correspondence from Dean A. Porter to Olive Bugbee, Curaotr of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 29 April 1976 (copy in the Collections Records Object File).
Cultures
Geography
place of origin- Taos
place depicted- Taos
place depicted- Taos Mountains
Process/materials
oil paint
canvas
Historical periods
1922-1923
Individuals
Subject terms
landscape
poplar tree
aspen tree
sky
mountains
scale
figure
Pueblo Indian (style/culture)
Unknown Taos Pueblo (person or group)
green
yellow
blue
en plein air
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1934: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, anonymous gift [1]
[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1934.1
Category
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General Description
The most progressive of the Taos painters, Victor Higgins studied in New York, Paris, and Munich before settling in New Mexico in 1914. In A Mountain Ceremony, the simplified shapes and uniform brushstrokes create a weave of color in which the diminutive figures of the Pueblo peoples are at one with the landscape, involved in a ritual that reaffirms their integral place in their cosmos.
Adapted from
DMA label copy (1934.1), n.d.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
Anonymous Gift- but documentation in file says the painting was donated by Mrs. S.I. Munger. This object will not link to the content essay on the Munger Fund because Mrs. Munger does not appear as an acquisition related constituent, nor does her name appear in the credit line.
Numerous bibliographic sources in file and lists of sources. TMS only has VictorHiggins.com and his individual entry in Texas Painters, Sculptors, and Graphic Artists (2000).
Changing date from c. 1930 to 1922-1923. This change is based on the following:
Correspondence in object file gives the date as c. 1921 based on comparative analysis with other Higgins works based on technique and known stylistic influences.
Letter from Dean A. Porter to Olive Bugbee (Curator, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum), 29 April 1976. "The painting was executed in 1922 or 1923." [Cites- Higgins, Victor. Pictures Painted During the Years 1922 and 1923," no. 25, priced at $1500. (Taken from a list compiled by Higgins in 1924)]
The correspondence also gives exhibition history that supports the assignment of an earlier date: (Both exhibitions added to Exhibition History field in TMS)
1924: "Special Exhibition of Paintings by Victor Higgins, A.N.A.," The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC, April 1-22, 1924, no. 8. [1]
1925: Art Room of the Public Library, Dubuque Art Association, Iowa, January 1925, no. 5 [1]
[1] These exhibitions are listed as supportive evidence for a creation date of 1922-1923 in correspondence from Dean A. Porter to Olive Bugbee, Curaotr of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 29 April 1976 (copy in the Collections Records Object File).
Cultures
Geography
place of origin- Taos
place depicted- Taos
place depicted- Taos Mountains
Process/materials
oil paint
canvas
Historical periods
1922-1923
Individuals
Subject terms
landscape
poplar tree
aspen tree
sky
mountains
scale
figure
Pueblo Indian (style/culture)
Unknown Taos Pueblo (person or group)
green
yellow
blue
en plein air
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1934: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, anonymous gift [1]
[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1934.1
source file
object_notes_3_c-0233.xml.nores