Flayed Deer : New Mexico : USA (1959)
A large original oil painting inspired by the customs of the Pueblo Indians
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
Painted in 1959, this is a large oil on board, framed but not glazed. The frame measuring approximately 62 × 122 cms, with a width of 2cms, and a depth of 3cms.
This is a rare early painting by David Holt, painted when David was a Harkness Fellow and travelled across America, settling for a time in Santa Fe in New Mexico. He drew the Pueblo Indians, and was privileged to watch the Pueblo Deer Dance where they give thanks for the animal that sustained their community. This painting brings together some of that experience, the rather stark central image of the deerskin stretched on a wooden frame (this giving the impression of crucifixion). Above is a dark moon signifying the spiritual nature of the event, and in the foreground, a dense cluster of bulbous shapes suggest the cacti and low scrub of the landscape.
Signed and dated by David bottom centre (David Holt, 1959) and titled to a label to the rear.
Provenance: This painting comes directly from the artist's estate, and the work is offered with full provenance.
David Holt (1928–2014). Born in Hythe, Kent. Painter and Lecturer in Art. After National Service, he trained at the Canterbury School of Art, the Hammersmith School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools where he was awarded a medal for drawing and the Knapping Prize. He joined a studio-workshop with Gerald Holtom (designer of the CND symbol) in 1958 where he designed and produced proscenium curtains for schools. In 1958 he was awarded a Harkness Fellowship and travelled across America, producing many drawings and prints of the Pueblo Indians and their life-dance in Santa Fe in New Mexico, where he also worked with artist Agnes Sims. He returned to England in 1960 and continued to paint and work on large textile appliques for schools, churches, and private houses including Spade House in Kent, the former home of H G Wells.
He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1962, and in 1964 was commissioned to design and make a large textile applique 'Christ in Majesty' which still hangs in the chapel of Christ Church College in Canterbury.
He was Head of Art at Canterbury Christ Church University until his retirement in 1995. He exhibited widely in the UK and the States and worked with many art societies and summer schools across East Kent.
His work can be found in both private and public collections throughout the UK and America, including the Yale Centre for British Art. His painting "Coastal Watcher" was recently used for the dustwrapper on Modernism and Memory: Rhoda Pritzker and the Art of Collecting (Yale University Press, 2016).
Condition
This painting is in fair condition but remaining an impressive and strong image. Poor storage has meant the board is slightly warped along the right hand side, and is heavily marked to the rear (this has been treated so it is just marking). It would benefit from being reframed. David scraped some of the painting away from the deerskin to give a raw and visceral impression, and this has flaked a little.
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Price
£150.00
