CS Fine Arts Center

 

 



The Noblemen

 

Pletka, Paul. Ute Agency. 1995. Acrylic on canvas. Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, CO.

This painting says many things about both the Native American culture and the person who painted it. This painting is a really good example of John Berger’s concept of using personal items or things as a representation a status. He states, “To have a thing painted and put on a canvas is not unlike buying it and putting it in your house (83, Berger)”. This to me means that these images of the three men show the importance and value of culture and status. Without explicitly saying how important these men are to the community, it is given value by being painted and depicted on canvas. As Berger continues he states in reference to paintings, “All reality was mechanically measured by its materiality… A painting could speak to the soul—by way of what it referred to, but never by the way it envisaged (87, Berger)”.

When I looked at this painting I see the wisdom of elders and nobleman in a tribal community. When speaking about the two men in the painting The Ambassadors , Berger says that the two men have a presence and that there are many objects that symbolize ideas, but that it is the materials, the stuff, by which the men are surrounded and clothed with that dominate the painting (90, Berger). I feel this can be seen in the painting that depicts the tribe leaders. The colors used and the adornments on these men all symbolize something and it is apparent they are meant to because they are in the front and use a lot of the canvas space. The men in this painting are wearing bright vibrant colors and one is wearing a headdress. Each of these items shows the man’s status in the community. In the Native American culture many colors and designs have significance. In the painting there are many cross styled designs on the men’s clothing. “Most Native Americans named four points of the earth, the four directions of the compass—north, south, east, and west—and assigned a color to each one (Nevadaculture.org)”. Like previously stated, the colors also have significant meaning. The main colors depicted in this painting are red, blue, yellow, white and black. Blue represent sky, water, female, clouds, lightning, moon, thunder or sadness, yellow represents sunshine, day or dawn, white represent winter, death or snow and black can represent night, underworld, male, cold, disease or death (Nevadaculture.org).

Another key item in this painting is the headdress worn by the man on the right. Headdresses are a very important part of Native American culture. They are worn by men in Native American communities who are the most powerful and influential in the tribe. These headdresses took a lot of time to make and were part of a lifelong progress, so no one’s headdress was ever truly complete. Each time a chief, warrior, or another important tribal member committed a brave act, a feather was added to their headdress (Indianarticle.org).

Something that can be pointed out in the painting is the other man standing behind the three men who are seated in front. I think this is something that is very significant in telling the story of this painting. This man in the back is fully covered with burlap colored cloth and the only thing visible is the side of his face and some of his hair. I feel this man was put in the painting to show the contrast between the commoners and noble men. This is very similar to the painting Berger presented (Admiral De Ruyter in The Castle of Elmina) of the slave kneeling down showing the master a painting. Showing this contrast in people of social class gives more power to the person who is of a higher social class.

 

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting, 1972. Print.

"Native American Headdress." The and Spiritual Ceremonies. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2013. http://www.indians.org/articles/native-american-headdress.html

“Native American Designs and Colors.” Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2013. http://nevadaculture.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1102&Itemid=27