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An extraordinary historic Acoma
Pueblo fineline pottery plate attributed to Lucy Lewis, c.1920’s-30’s
What Is it about ancient Americans and Modernist art? The ancient Archaic and Fremont peoples of the Southwest did
it in their rock art. The various Prehistoric Anasazi and Mogollon people did it in their rock art too, and in pottery and sculpture, Nampeyo did it several hundred years later with Hopi pottery, and still later, Charles Loloma did it with Hopi jewelry as did Ambrose Roanhorse and Kenneth Begay with Navajo jewelry. And there are many other examples of ancient Americans and their descendants making starkly Modernist expressions in their various art forms, as much so
as any so-called Modern or contemporary artists anywhere in the world.
Take this wonderful early 20th Century Acoma Pueblo pottery plate for example. Made in the 1920’s or 1930’s, it’s
a starkly Modernistic artistic expression as much so as any expression of Op Art, Surrealism or Dada, yet Lucy Lewis (1890-1992), the great Acoma Pueblo pottery who we believe made it, most likely knew little or nothing of any of these movements or artists. What she did know was her innate cultural heritage, hearkening back to her being a direct descendant of the ancient 10th to 12th century Anasazi civilization at Chcao Canyon New Mexico 110 miles north of her former home at Modern day Acoma Pueblo. Lewis who began making pottery at the tender age of seven is largely responsible for the revival of Acoma pottery inspired by the ancient pottery of the Chacoan Anasazi and the Mogollon Mimbres people of southern New Mexico as seen in the examples below.
At left, Acoma pottery jar by Lucy Lewis, c. 1983. At center, Lucy Lewis holding a piece of her pottery.
Left photo source and © National Museum of Women in the Arts. Center photo source and © King Galleries, Santa Fe
This is a relatively large-sized piece for Lucy Lewis whose pottery pieces were generally on the smaller side. The plate measures 9 3/4" in diameter and is 2" in height. It is in remarkably excellent original condition, and particularly so for its century or so of age with no cracks, no chips, no restoration and no overpainting. There are a few small scuffs and a tiny chip here and there. The plate is unsigned, but it is marked Acoma, NM on the back. In our opinions, the plate is unsigned by Lewis as it was made in the early decades of the 20th Century before Pueblo potters began to regularly sign their work. This was completely common practice up through the 1930’s so much so that Lewis’s then world famous counterpart at Hopi, the great pottery Master Nampeyo who died in 1942 never signed her work. As can be clearly seen here, in comparing this unsigned plate with a later signed Lucy Lewis jar shown here, the artist's "hand", the overall painting style, the line and precision quality, method and design expressions are extremely similar, almost identical.
In any case, if you want a great piece of Modern American art you can buy plenty of examples by famous 20th Century artists in the millions of dollars. Here’s a beautiful example for millions less that’s every bit as shockingly Modern
as anything one of those other artists might do but made instead by a descendant of ancient Americans using the ancient knowledge of her age-old American ancestors, among the world’s original and greatest Modern artists.
SOLD
At left, Classic Mimbres Black-on-White pottery bowl with fine line designs, c. 1100 A.D. At right, Chaco Black-on-White pottery bowl with fine line designs, c. 1100 A.D.
Right photo source and © Minneapolis Institute of Art
The pottery made both at Chaco and Mimbres is distinctly Modernistic in its presentation as can be clearly seen in the examples shown below and, in her own way, just as Nampeyo was doing at the same time with Hopi pottery, Lucy Lewis was re-interpreting and re-presenting her ancient heritage and birthright here at Acoma with this incredible fine line piece. The precision and control on display here is mind-blowing, you would not believe it could be done if it wasn’t right here before your eyes. And not only that, it was done not in the Modern European and American artistic method using preliminary sketches and physical aids such as straight edges, rulers, commercial art materials and other mechanical implements Instead This incredible piece of handmade modern art was imagined and executed straight out of her mind and right onto the plate using only a chewed yucca fiber stalk for a brush and hand made mineral pigments she ground herself from natural minerals. M.C Escher would be shocked, amazed and humbled all at once!
At left, aerial view of present-day Acoma Pueblo about 65 miles west of present day Albuquerque, New Mexico. At right, aerial view of Pueblo Bonito ruin at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.
Left photo source and © Getty Images
