Fritz ScholderEagle Fetish #4
Art Bridges Collection
Fritz ScholderIndian Rug #5
About
Fritz Scholder’s Indian Rug #5 borrows inspiration from Navajo Germantown weavings, specifically from the “eye dazzler designs” which were major tourist commodities. Eye Dazzlers are composed of Native patterns with handspun wool or non-Native fibers like yarn. Commercially produced dyes were also used to attract market attention through vibrant colors.
Scholder, as a Luiseño artist, was conscious of how the consumers of Native art often influenced what was considered “authentic” and desirable. Scholder took advantage of this by incorporating popular designs and motifs into his own work. Through the cleverly rendered brown and red border, Scholder created the frame of a loom, indicating that this blanket is in the process of construction. This inclusion prevents the work from being fully misread as simply a dazzling expressionistic painting but instead keeps it literally connected to the source Indigenous community.
Artist
Fritz Scholder
Dimensions
80 x 68 in.
Credit Line
Art Bridges
Date
1973
Medium
Acrylic on canvas
Object Number
AB.2025.48
Provenance
Pending
