''The Rancher'' is a 2002 painting by

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (January 15, 1940 – January 24, 2025) was a Native Americans in the United States, Native American visual artist and curator. She was an enrolled citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and was also of M� ...

. It is in the collection of the

Hood Museum of Art The Hood Museum of Art is an art museum owned and operated by Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The first reference to the development of an art collection at Dartmouth was in 1772, making the collection among the oldest and largest, a ...

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

. The painting serves as Quick-to-See Smith's tribute to

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, where she grew up.

Description

The painting is a tribute to where Quick-to-See Smith grew up: Montana. The painting, which is

acrylic paint Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion and plasticizers, silicone oils, defoamers, stabilizers, or metal soaps. Most acrylic paints are water-based, but become water-resistant when dry. Dep ...

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...

, features Quick-to-See Smith's interpretation of

George Catlin George Catlin ( ; July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans in the American frontier. Traveling to the Wes ...

's painting, ''Ee-he-a-duck-chee-a (He Who Ties His Hair Before)'' in the middle of the painting, in black paint. Logos for Purina and

Krispy Kreme Krispy Kreme, Inc. (previously Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.) is an American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain. Krispy Kreme was founded by Vernon Rudolph (1915–1973), who bought a yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans ch ...

are depicted, as is the painted words "french fries." Next to "french fries" are two hands painted saying "french fries" in

American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that i ...

. Half of a blue sign is on the right of the canvas, with "Hecho en USA" spilling off the canvas. "$19.99" is painted in the upper left corner. The painting is signed and inscribed on the back, top edge of the painting, using black marker. It reads: lleg.Smith 2002 "THE RANCHER" ACl 72" x 48"

Curatorial analysis

In this work, Quick-to-See Smith seeks to reject

stereotypes about indigenous peoples of North America Stereotypes of Indigenous peoples of Canada and the United States of America include many ethnic stereotypes found worldwide which include historical misrepresentations and the oversimplification of hundreds of Indigenous cultures. Negative ster ...

, by using Caitlin's work. The use of the brand logos is believed assert "that Native peoples can be simultaneously traditional and contemporary," according to curators at the Hood Museum of Art. "Hecho en USA" is meant to reflect "the intermingling of languages, cultures, and subcultures of America." Additionally, the word "french fries" and the sign language are meant to depict how Native peoples often must incorporate new ideas and words into their lexicon and lives as they seek to remain connected to modern life.

History

The painting was purchased by the Hood Museum of Art, with monies from the William S. Rubin Fund, through the LewAllen Contemporary art gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This painting has been shown in three exhibitions at the Hood Museum, "Native American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art" (2011-12), Modern and Contemporary Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art" (2009-10), and "Picturing Change: The Impact of Ledger Drawing on Native American Art" (2004-05). It has also been exhibited at the

Peabody Essex Museum The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, US, is a successor to the East India Marine Society, established in 1799. It combines the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem (which acquired the Society's collection) and th ...

Colby College Museum of Art The Colby College Museum of Art is an art museum on the campus of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1959 and now comprising five wings, nearly 8,000 works and more than 38,000 square feet of exhibition space, the Colby College Museu ...

and the LewAllen Contemporary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rancher 2002 paintings American paintings Paintings in New Hampshire

Description

Curatorial analysis

History

Further reading

References