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Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

Buffalo Hunt

Navajo artist Quincy Tahoma looked to Native American styles, yet invented a modern, individual interpretation of past sources. He studied at the Santa Fe Indian School, where many native artists explored traditional subjects such as ceremonial dances, mythology, and animals including buffalo and horses. The artists' choices were largely driven by the demands of the art market, as non-Native audiences wanted and expected these themes in their work. In Buffalo Hunt, Tahoma pushed the bounds of this imagery with a scene of surprising violence and intensity, portraying the dramatic action of the hunt.

ArtistQuincy Tahoma, Navajo, 1921–1956
Date1940
MediumGouache on paper
Dimensions19 1/2 x 27 1/2 in. (49.5 x 69.9 cm)
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.54
ClassificationWatercolor
ProvenancePrivate Collection, NY ; (Adobe Gallery, Santa Fe, NM); Bruce Hartman, Prairie Village, KS; purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2020
On ViewNo
Buffalo Hunt19.5 × 27.5 in.Tennis Ball2.7 in. diameter

This artwork's face covers about 74× the area of a tennis ball.Drawn to the same scale.