Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

Rudolph Carl Gorman
Woman With Tulip Bowl

1981

About the Item

This artwork, "Woman With Tulip Bowl" 1981 (State I) is an original lithograph on heavy paper by renowned Navajo artist Rudolph Carl (R.C.) Gorman, 1932-2005. It is signed, dated and numbered 50/150 in pencil by the artist. With the blind stamp of the artist and printer. The sheet size is 16.25 x 20 inches. It is in excellent condition, has never been framed, the colors are fresh and bright. About the artist: Born in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona and raised in a hogan on the Navajo Reservation, R.C. Gorman became one of the Southwest's best known late 20th-century artists. His signature works were Navajo women in a variety of poses. Many persons have been fascinated by the fact that he, an Indian artist, became famous in the white man's world with some calling him the "Picasso of Indian artists". Of this kind of attention, he said: "I wish people would quit pushing my being Indian. The only time I was interviewed as If I were a normal person was by the Jewish Press in Tucson. It was the first time I felt international and almost white". (Samuels 222) His parents were Carl Nelson Gorman, artist, and Adella Katherine Brown. He abandoned the name "Rudolph" and signed his artwork with the initials R.C. He grew up during the Depression years, and he later said his first materials were "sand, rocks, and mud." His father, Carl, was one of the first Indian artists to depart from tradition and paint from his own personal expression, but R.C. seldom saw his father during his early childhood because he was away during the war,serving in the South Pacific as one of the Code Talkers---Navajos who used their language as secret code to foil the enemy. Women, particularly his maternal grandmother, were primary influences and remain the focus of most of his paintings and prints. She spent much time with him during his childhood, and they herded sheep together, and he often drew on the rocks including a depiction of a nude woman that brought him a scolding. She told him the Navajo traditions and legends, sang the old songs, and taught him about plants and animals. His mother, who had been sent away to government schools, directed him more towards the Anglo world and spoke to him only in English. She oversaw his education, and he first attended Chinle Public School. At age 10, he went to Flagstaff, shipped there in a cattle car with his mother, to work in the Navajo Ordnance. On the way, he saw his first painting at a stop at Hopiland at Moencopi Trading Post, and couldn't get it out of his mind. After that he attended St. Michael's, a Catholic boarding school on the Navajo Reservation, from where he was expelled. Next he went to Ganado Presbyterian Mission School where well-known Southwest trader Don Lorenzo Hubbell had a trading post nearby and was a key figure in helping with the organizing of the school. A Dr. Clarence Salsbury was Director of Education and encouraged Gorman with his unique talents, which were recognized by many students and faculty members. Many years later, in 1978, The College of Ganado awarded Gorman an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, which he later said was the highest honor he had received. He went to college in Flagstaff at Northern Arizona University, and in 1951 enlisted in the Navy for four years during the Korean War, but never quit drawing. In 1955, he re-enrolled at Northern Arizona University, studying literature and art, and illustrated for a school magazine. A trip to Mexico and later a year long study scholarship really excited him, especially viewing murals by Orozco, Rivera, and Siqueiros, and sculpture by Zuniga because these artists were depicting realistic people. Their works were a catalyst for his decision to paint likenesses and create lithographs of people from his own heritage. However, Gorman did not stay long on the Navajo reservation. In 1962, he left and would return only for visits. He moved to San Francisco where he had successful exhibitions of his work and earned the patronage of Charles and Ruth de Young Elkus, who encouraged young Indian talent. In 1964, he went to Taos, New Mexico, and shortly after had an exhibition there in the Manchester Gallery. He returned to San Francisco where he went through a period of doing surreal landscapes but made frequent trips to Taos. He also had several joint exhibitions with his father, Carl Gorman, and in 1968 purchased the Manchester Gallery in Taos, renaming it the Navajo Gallery. From then it was his studio and home. In the 1970s, he became a nationally known artist, and visitors to the Southwest were taking his work to all parts of the country. He also opened a gallery in Tubac, Arizona, about 40 miles south of Tucson, and conducted numerous workshops. During that decade, he first experimented with lithography, studying with Jose Sanchez in Mexico City. He did etchings, silk screen, sculpture, and ceramics and also began his pastel, watercolor wash full-bodied Indian women that became his trademark. Of this subject matter, he said: "I choose models who have full bodies--something you can put your two arms around and feel a real woman. I like the ample figure because it fills space softly" (Monthan, "R.C. Gorman, 29). His daily work schedule has been one of arriving at his studio about 8:30 AM, working intensely, eating a long lunch with a glass of wine, returning to work for an hour or so, and then disappearing until the next day. Gorman's work is in many permanent museum collections. A few include: The Museum of Indian Arts, San Fransisco, CA; The Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ; Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, AZ; Philbrook Art Center, Tulsa, OK; U.S. Department of Interior, Washington, D.C.; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN; and the New Mexico Museum of Fine Art.
  • Creator:
    Rudolph Carl Gorman (1931 - 2005, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1981
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 16.25 in (41.28 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 0.02 in (0.51 mm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    San Francisco, CA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: PM12072020-41stDibs: LU66637188712
More From This SellerView All
  • Woman From Paris
    By Rudolph Carl Gorman
    Located in San Francisco, CA
    This artwork, "Woman From Paris" 1979 (State I) is an original lithograph on creme Arches paper by renowned Navajo artist Rudolph Carl (R.C.) Gorman, 1932-2005. It is signed, dated and numbered 129/150 in pencil by the artist. The sheet size is 21.75 x 29 inches. It is in excellent condition, has never been framed, the colors are fresh and bright. About the artist: Born in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona and raised in a hogan on the Navajo Reservation, R.C. Gorman became one of the Southwest's best known late 20th-century artists. His signature works were Navajo women in a variety of poses. Many persons have been fascinated by the fact that he, an Indian artist, became famous in the white man's world with some calling him the "Picasso of Indian artists". Of this kind of attention, he said: "I wish people would quit pushing my being Indian. The only time I was interviewed as If I were a normal person was by the Jewish Press in Tucson. It was the first time I felt international and almost white". (Samuels 222) His parents were Carl Nelson...
    Category

    Late 20th Century Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Paper, Lithograph

  • Lila
    By Rudolph Carl Gorman
    Located in San Francisco, CA
    This artwork, "Lila" 1981 (State I) is an original lithograph on heavy paper by renowned Navajo artist Rudolph Carl (R.C.) Gorman, 1932-2005. It is signed, dated and numbered 90/150 in pencil by the artist. With the blind stamp of the artist and printer. The sheet size is 17.75 x 22.5 inches. It is in excellent condition, has never been framed, the colors are fresh and bright. About the artist: Born in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona and raised in a hogan on the Navajo Reservation, R.C. Gorman became one of the Southwest's best known late 20th-century artists. His signature works were Navajo women in a variety of poses. Many persons have been fascinated by the fact that he, an Indian artist, became famous in the white man's world with some calling him the "Picasso of Indian artists". Of this kind of attention, he said: "I wish people would quit pushing my being Indian. The only time I was interviewed as If I were a normal person was by the Jewish Press in Tucson. It was the first time I felt international and almost white". (Samuels 222) His parents were Carl Nelson...
    Category

    Late 20th Century Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Paper, Lithograph

  • Classe 17
    By Théophile Alexandre Steinlen
    Located in San Francisco, CA
    Artist: Theophile Alexandre Steinlen (Swiss, 1859-1923) Title: Classe 17 Year: 1917 Medium: Lithograph Edition: Numbered 61/100 in pencil Paper: Wove Image size: 10.5 x 14.25 inches ...
    Category

    Early 19th Century Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Lithograph

  • Maurice Chevalier, Casino de Paris
    By Charles Kiffer
    Located in San Francisco, CA
    This artwork titled "Maurice Chevalier, Casino de Paris" created 1925 is a lithographic poster on paper by French noted artist Charles Kiffer, 1902-1...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Lithograph

  • Untitled
    By Théophile Alexandre Steinlen
    Located in San Francisco, CA
    Artist: Theophile Alexandre Steinlen (Swiss, 1859-1923) Title: Untitled Year: c.1915 Medium: Lithograph Edition: Unknown, probably 400 Paper: Thin vellum Image size: 1...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Lithograph

  • l'Adieu (The Fairwell)
    By Théophile Alexandre Steinlen
    Located in San Francisco, CA
    Artist: Theophile Alexandre Steinlen (Swiss, 1859-1923) Title: L'Adieu (The Fairwell) Year: 1916 Medium: Lithograph Edition: Numbered 381/400 in pencil Paper: Creme wove Image...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Lithograph

You May Also Like
  • "The Putting Green" - Figurative Landscape
    By Douglas Adams
    Located in Soquel, CA
    "The Putting Green" - Figurative Landscape 20th century lithograph copy (restrike) of an original painting by British artist Douglas Adams (English, 185...
    Category

    1970s Realist Landscape Prints

    Materials

    Paper, Lithograph

  • Old Violinist - Late 19th Century Figurative Lithograph
    By John George Brown
    Located in Soquel, CA
    Finely detailed late 19th century chromo-lithograph portrait of a violinist street musician by John George Brown (British, 1831-1913). Many of Brown’s paintings were reproduced in lithography (Chromo-lithograpy), as is the case with the one offered here. Presented in a rustic antique Oak wood frame with giltwood fillet. Image, 15.63"H x 10.63"W. John George Brown was a British citizen and an American painter born in Durham, England. His parents apprenticed him to the career of glass worker at the age of fourteen, in an attempt to dissuade him from pursuing painting. He studied nights at the School of Design in Newcastle-on-Tyne while working as a glass cutter there between 1849 and 1852, and evenings at the Trustees Academy in Edinburgh while working at the Holyrood Glass Works between 1852 ad 1853. After moving to New York City in 1853, he studied with Thomas Seir Cummings at the National Academy of Design where he was elected a National Academician in 1861. Brown was the Academy’s vice-president from 1899 to 1904. Around 1855, he worked for the owner of the Brooklyn Glass Company, and later he married the daughter of his employer. His father-in-law encouraged his artistic abilities, supporting him financially, letting Brown pursue painting full-time. In 1866, he became one of the charter members of the Water-Color Society, of which he was president from 1887 to 1904. Brown became famous for his depictions of street urchins found of the streets of New York (bootblacks, street musicians, posy sellers, newsboys, etc.). Brown’s art is best characterized as British genre painting...
    Category

    1870s Realist Portrait Prints

    Materials

    Paper, Lithograph

  • BLACK BEAR IN THE CHICKCHOCS
    By Claudio D'Angelo
    Located in Aventura, FL
    Lithograph on paper. Hand signed, titled and numbered by the artist. Edition of 350. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity is included. All reasonable o...
    Category

    Late 20th Century Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Lithograph, Paper

  • A ROAD LESS TRAVELED
    Located in Aventura, FL
    Lithograph on paper. Hand signed, titled and numbered by the artist. Edition of 350. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity is included. All reasonable offers will be considered. About the artist: As a self taught artist, Jake's style has developed over many years, evolving since childhood. Early in life he nurtured a bond with nature and wildlife that eventually became the basis for his artistic endeavors. Jake captures the landscape with striking compositions emphasizing light and color. Among the artist\'s favorite subjects are serene lakes, forests, and mountains of North America. Jake has enjoyed a popular following throughout the past 23 years that he has been showing, and his art continues to attract collectors throughout Canada and beyond. His art has found homes in his native province of Ontario, as well as internationally. He is honored to have collectors as far away as Japan, Dubai, Europe, as well as a growing clientele in Western Canada.
    Category

    1990s Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Lithograph, Paper

  • HARDWOOD TRAIL
    Located in Aventura, FL
    Lithograph on paper. Hand signed, titled and numbered by the artist. Edition of 350. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity is included. All reasonable offers will be considered. About the artist: As a self taught artist, Jake's style has developed over many years, evolving since childhood. Early in life he nurtured a bond with nature and wildlife that eventually became the basis for his artistic endeavors. Jake captures the landscape with striking compositions emphasizing light and color. Among the artist\'s favorite subjects are serene lakes, forests, and mountains of North America. Jake has enjoyed a popular following throughout the past 23 years that he has been showing, and his art continues to attract collectors throughout Canada and beyond. His art has found homes...
    Category

    1990s Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Lithograph, Paper

  • MOUNTAIN LION
    Located in Aventura, FL
    Lithograph on paper. Hand signed, titled and numbered by the artist. Edition of 350. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity is included. All reasonable o...
    Category

    1990s Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Lithograph, Paper

Recently Viewed

View All