"Distinguished Visiting Artist: Robert Taylor" Collection Catalogue

All That is Before Me and Within Me [detail], 2012 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist

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Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art The University of Oklahoma 3

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

Full Circle [detail], 2010 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Preface and Acknowledgments by Mark Andrew White

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An Interview with Robert Taylor by Melynda Seaton

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Endnotes

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Bibliography

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Contributors

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Image Index

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About the Venue

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Publication Notes

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PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS BY

MARK ANDREW WHITE WYLODEAN AND BILL SAXON DIRECTOR

T

he Jerome M. Westheimer, Sr. and Wanda Otey Westheimer Distinguished Visiting Artist program provides the opportunity for the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art to exhibit

the work of a contemporary artist of significant merit. This year, we are extremely pleased to host Robert Taylor as the sixth guest artist. In addition to the exhibition, Taylor also will work with the students of the University of Oklahoma School of Visual Arts. This important program would not be possible without the generosity of Mrs. Wanda Otey Westheimer and her family and, on behalf of the Board of Visitors of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art and the OU Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, I would like to express our utmost appreciation for their continued support.

Robert Taylor was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1951, and is of Blackfeet, Cherokee, Osage, Crow, Scottish, and Black Dutch descent. Largely self-taught, Taylor borrows from multiples styles and genres such as Surrealism and Magic Realism to create mystical and often enigmatic images of nature, Native American tribal life, and spiritual rituals. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Paul Pletka, John Biggers, and Salvador Dali, Taylor tends towards a naturalistic representation, though he often exaggerates bodily proportions as a symbolic device to acknowledge the human connection to the earth and sky.

In the Mourning of the Night They Come to Me [detail], 1998 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, Norman; Gift of Dr. and Mrs. R.E. Mansfield, 2003

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Left: When Doors Open, 2008 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of Mallory Taylor

Right: Ancient Doors [detail], 2007 Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 24 in.

Loan courtesy of Monroe Cameron and Trish Freeman

We would like to thank Robert Taylor for his generous assistance in the realization of both the catalogue and exhibition. His work with the students and faculty of the OU School of Visual Arts is equally important, and we appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with our close colleagues in the OU Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts.

The unwavering support of President David L. Boren and First Lady Molly Shi Boren continues to be of enormous benefit to both the museum and the university, and the museum greatly appreciates their support of this exhibition.

I would also like to acknowledge the late Professor Daniel Brackett, whose tireless work promoting the work of Robert Taylor and other artists was important to the cultural vitality of Oklahoma. Dan was a valued member of our Association Board, and he will be sorely missed.

Finally, any successful exhibition or publication is the result of significant time and effort on the part of a number of individuals. I would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Melynda Seaton at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for her insightful essay. Ashley R. Holland provided indispensible curatorial support as part of her Andrew W. Mellon internship with the museum.

The museum staff also has been exceptional in their realization of this project, and I would like to thank, in particular, Michael Bendure, Director of Communication; Tracy Bidwell, Chief Registrar; Tanya Denton, Manager of Administration and Operations; Brad Stevens, Chief Preparator and Exhibition Designer.

It is a pleasure to host Robert Taylor as the sixth Jerome M. Westheimer, Sr. and Wanda Otey Westheimer Distinguished Visiting Artist, and we hope you enjoy both the publication and exhibition.

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Ghost Story [detail], 2001 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60 in.

Loan courtesy of Monroe Cameron and Trish Freeman

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AN INTERVIEW WITH

ROBERT TAYLOR CONDUCTED BY MELYNDA SEATON, JULY 1, 2017, IN CLAREMORE, OKLAHOMA

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native Oklahoman of Cherokee, Osage, Blackfeet, Scottish, and Black Dutch descent, Robert Taylor is a self-taught artist employing symbolism from multiple cultures to tell stories through painting. A unique heritage paired with life experience results in an amalgamation of artistic styles and imagery that blend influences as far afield as the Northern Renaissance to Oklahoma and Texas artists from the twentieth century, including Paul Pletka and John Biggers. Lessons learned from his maternal grandfather and his uncle Wallace Hughes, a wildlife artist, also inform Taylor’s creative process.

The Souls of the Mountain exemplifies Taylor’s painting style. The busy composition loaded with symbolism is rendered in such a way that Taylor’s inspiration is readily apparent.

Oversized hands are reminiscent of Pletka and a hoop dancer hatching from a cracked egg in the background mirrors scenes by sixteenth-century Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch.1 The

The Souls of the Mountain, 1996 Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30 in.

Loan courtesy of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

image contains markers of Christianity, Native American culture, and even architectural references to Egypt. Taylor may appropriate symbols not his own; nevertheless, he transforms them into a wholly new and distinct visual language.

On July 1, 2017, I visited Taylor at his home in Claremore,

culture and, in particular, the prospects of young artists. While Taylor draws much inspiration from his American Indian ancestry, he is not an enrolled member of any tribe. In fact, Taylor does not claim to be an Indian artist, but merely an artist who just happens to be an Indian.

Oklahoma, to learn more about his artistic practice. Excerpts from an entire afternoon of conversation, which often deviated from the original agenda, follows. We discussed topics such as Taylor’s evolution

*Please note that this interview has been edited for clarity. Comments not relevant or directly

as an artist, the meaning of his symbolism, and American Indian art today.

related to questions at hand or comments included in previous publicly available interviews

Taylor expressed his hopes regarding the future of Native American art and

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were excluded.

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Melynda Seaton: In earlier interviews, you discussed that when you were first starting painting

I wanted to show the ground, the earth itself, being greater and they were very simple.

that the work was really busy, and that one of your gallerists told you the work was too

That’s when I started learning more color. That [phase] lasted nine months, probably, a

gaudy. I haven’t seen which paintings you were talking about, but you said you simplified

very short-lived time. I went from doing that [landscapes] when I walked in and saw a Paul

your compositions once you started painting more. I’m curious about that because all of the

Pletka show. And from there, I went down to Houston and saw John Bigger’s show. From

images I have seen are loaded with symbolism and a lot of information is being conveyed.

then on, I haven’t looked back, and [my art] evolved from that.

Robert Taylor: They were gaudy, and I was still learning color, for one thing. What I mean by

MS: Just to clarify in terms of traditional, I assume you mean a more flat, linear style?

busy, is that I jumped around in thought so much, but it was not a focused thought. Instead of trying to put out a chapter, I was trying to write a whole book. And so, as you looked at

RT: Yes, well, very flat. I also did a lot [of paintings] showing the backs of people in what was

it, you visually jumped around… What I mean by when I simplified things, is that I went

more of the flat “Old Timers” look. It was no good and had very little perspective. I

from a style which [had] a flat traditional look still, but I was starting to put a little bit more

went from that to what I called the “Jerome Tiger style,” because of Jerome Tiger here in

realism into some paintings. I went from that to doing landscapes, wherein you would be

Oklahoma. It was becoming a little more modern with stylized figures, but was still in that

hard-pressed to find any human beings; they were always very small entities in any painting.

flat, more traditional look. Then it [my painting] just kind of exploded from there.

Waiting for Columbus [detail], 1992 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

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The Great Relative and the Oracle [detail], 2008 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

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ENDNOTES For example, see Hieronymus Bosch, Temptations of St. Anthony, ca 1500

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(oil on oak). http://www.museudearteantiga.pt/collections/european-painting/ temptations-of-st-anthony; public domain image source: https://www.wikiart. org/en/hieronymus-bosch/triptych-the-temptation-of-st-anthony-1516.

For more information regarding Dorothy Dunn’s teachings, see Bruce Bernstein and

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W. Jackson Rushing. Modern by Tradition: American Indian Painting in the Studio Style.

Santa Fe, N.M.: Museum of New Mexico Press, 1995.

Robert Taylor. Oral history interview with Robert Taylor. Interview by Julie Pearson-

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Little Thunder, September 18, 2010. Oklahoma Oral History Research ProgramOklahoma State University.

Original quote: “Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering

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hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was myself. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.” In Kuang-Ming Wu, and Zhuangzi. The Butterfly as Companion: Meditations on the First Three Chapters of the Chuang Tzu. SUNY Series in Religion and Philosophy. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press, 1990.

Water Spirits [detail], 2008 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of Mallory Taylor

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MELYNDA SEATON ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND

BIBLIOGRAPHY I am very grateful to Mr. Taylor for sharing his time, artwork, and knowledge with me. It was an honor to speak with him. I also want to thank Mark White for the opportunity to be a part of this project at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

Bernstein, Bruce, and W. Jackson Rushing. Modern by Tradition: American Indian Painting in the Studio Style. Santa Fe, N.M: Museum of New Mexico Press, 1995.

Bosch, Hieronymus. Temptations of St. Anthony. Oil on oak, ca 1500. http://www. museudearteantiga.pt/collections/european-painting/temptations-of-st-anthony.

———. “Triptych: The Temptation of St. Anthony, 1470 - 1516 - Hieronymus Bosch.” Www. wikiart.org. Accessed July 30, 2017. https://www.wikiart.org/en/hieronymus-bosch/triptychthe-temptation-of-st-anthony-1516.

Taylor, Robert. Oral history interview with RT. Interview by Julie Pearson-Little Thunder, September 18, 2010. Oklahoma Oral History Research Program-Oklahoma State University.

The Black Crow (James Beckwourth), 2012 Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 18 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

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CONTRIBUTORS MARK ANDREW WHITE Wylodean and Bill Saxon Director of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art Mark Andrew White is the Wylodean and Bill Saxon Director at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma. He specializes in American and Native American art of the twentieth century with a particular focus on the Southwest. His recent publications include Picturing Indian Territory: Portraits of the Land That Became Oklahoma, 1819-1907 (2016), James Surls: A World Apart (2015), A World Unconquered: The Art of Oscar Brousse Jacobson (2015), and Macrocosm/Microcosm: Abstract Expressionism in the American Southwest (2014).

MELYNDA SEATON Director and Curator at the Great Plains Art Museum Melynda Seaton is the director and curator at the Great Plains Art Museum at the University of NebraWska-Lincoln. Seaton has a Ph.D. in art history from the University of Oklahoma with a specialization in art of the American West. She has curated several shows featuring Native American art in Nebraska, including the biennial exhibition at the museum, Contemporary Indigeneity.

Standing Post [detail], 2013 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Loan courtesy of Carol Beesley

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ROBERT TAYLOR

2000

2002

IMAGE INDEX 1987

1993

Sensation of Ritual, 2002 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of Sandi Cheshewalla

1996

2003 Mercenaries of the Shrine, 1997 Acrylic on canvas, 18 x 14 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

1998

Brother to the Hawk, 1987 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

Berdaché, 2000 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 24 in.

Loan courtesy of Jim and Linda Newby Memories... Windows to the Past, 1993 Acrylic on board, 12 x 16 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

The Mallory Commission, 1996 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Loan courtesy of Mallory Taylor

1994

The Choctaw Way of War, 1987 Acrylic on canvas, 18 x 20 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Corn Husk, 2003 Acrylic on panel, 13 1/2 x 10 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

The Souls of the Mountain,1996 Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30 in.

Loan courtesy of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

1992 Metal Breast, 1994 Oil on masonite, 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 in.

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, Norman; Gift of Dr. and Mrs. R.E. Mansfield, 2003

Waiting for Columbus, 1992 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

In the Mourning of the Night They Come to Me, 1998 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, Norman; Gift of Dr. and Mrs. R.E. Mansfield, 2003

1999

Petitioning the Supreme Court, 2000 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

2001

1997

Gossip, 1997 Acrylic on canvas, 5 x 7 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

Paradise Lost, 2003 Acrylic on canvas, 14 x 18 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Ghost Story, 2001 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60 in.

Loan courtesy of Monroe Cameron and Trish Freeman Enter the Open Door, 1999 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 in.

Loan courtesy of Carl and Deborah Rubenstein

Sojourn, 1994 Acrylic on canvas, 13 1/2 x 17 1/2 in.

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, Norman; Gift of Dr. and Mrs. R.E. Mansfield, 2003

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2004

2006

Faces of War, 2007 Acrylic on panel, 5 1/2 x 20 1/2 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

In the Hands of the Creator, 2004 Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 9 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Sunset, 2007 Acrylic on panel, 6 1/4 x 6 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Ghost Dancing at Wounded Knee, 2006 Acrylic on panel, 16 x 11 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Knit One, Purl Two, 2007 Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 9 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Like a Candle in the Wind, 2008 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Loan courtesy of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

You Break It – You Bought It, 2007 Acrylic on panel, 7 x 11 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

2008

Riding the Thunderbolt, 2004 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

Been There – Done That, 2008 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 in.

Loan courtesy of Mallory Taylor

The Great Relative and the Oracle, 2008 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

2005 War, 2006 Acrylic on panel, 18 x 14 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Dreams Gone Wild, 2005 Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 48 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

2007 Road Man, 2007 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Water Spirits, 2008 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of Mallory Taylor Babel, 2008 Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

If This Tent's a Rockin’, 2008 Acrylic on canvas Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

When Doors Open, 2008 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of Mallory Taylor Labor Negotiations, 2005 Acrylic on canvas, 9 x 9 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

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Ancient Doors, 2007 Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 24 in.

Loan courtesy of Monroe Cameron and Trish Freeman

Sunrise, 2007 Acrylic on panel, 6 1/4 x 6 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

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2009

2011

Wounded Knee, 2009 Acrylic on panel, 10 x 11 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

2015

An American Saint, 2011 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist

Quiet Flight, 2015 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of Kelly and Sheila Leggett

2012

2016 Echoes of the Heart, 2012 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

2010

Becoming, 2015 Acrylic on canvas, 28 x 22 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist

2013

The Sundancer, 2009 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 24 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Full Circle, 2010 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

All That is Before Me and Within Me, 2012 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist New Hope, 2013 Acrylic on canvas, 14 x 11 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

The Black Crow (James Beckwourth), 2012 Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 18 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett There is No Civil in War, 2009 Acrylic on panel, 24 x 10 in.

Loan courtesy of Dr. J.W. Wiggins, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

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Pathfinder, 2010 Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 24 in.

Loan courtesy of Monroe Cameron and Trish Freeman

All That is Gold Doesn’t Glitter, 2016 Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 8 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett Standing Post, 2013 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Loan courtesy of Carol Beesley

Eden Revisited, 2015 Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 4 in.

Loan courtesy of Susan Leggett

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FRED JONES JR. MUSEUM OF ART

ABOUT THE VENUE The University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is widely regarded as one of the finest university art museums in the United States. The museum’s growing collection features more than 17,000 objects. Highlights include the Weitzenhoffer Collection of French Impressionism, the Eugene B. Adkins Collection of art of the American Southwest and Native American art, the

Make Me Worthy, 2016 Acrylic on panel, 12 x 10 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist

James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, 20th century American painting and sculpture, ceramics, photography, contemporary art, Asian art, and works on paper from the 16th century When You are Down Look Up, 2016 Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 12 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist

Honor, 2016 Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 12 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist

to the present.

2017

Invoking the Bundle, 2016 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist

All Blood is Red, 2017 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist

Selfless – A Mother’s Bundle, 2016 Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 12 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist

Majestic American, 2016 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 10 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist

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One’s Dream Can Be Another’s Nightmare, 2017 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist

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PUBLICATION NOTES Copyright © 2017 The University of Oklahoma This catalogue has been published in conjuction with the exhibition Distinguished Visiting Artist: Robert Taylor at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. OCT. 6–DEC. 30, 2017 No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form without the written consent of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Catalogue author: MELYNDA SEATON Catalogue designer: MICHELE ARCHAMBO Copy editor: MICHAEL BENDURE FRED JONES JR. MUSEUM OF ART The University of Oklahoma 555 Elm Ave. Norman, Oklahoma 73019-3003 Phone: (405) 325-4938 fjjma.ou.edu | @fjjma

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017951653 ISBN: 978-0-692-93287-2 Cover: When Doors Open, 2008 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 in.

Loan courtesy of Mallory Taylor

This catalogue was printed by the University of Oklahoma Printing Services and is issued by the University of Oklahoma. 750 copies have been printed and distributed at no cost to the taxpayers of Oklahoma.

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