Carl Sweezy
Carl Sweezy (1881–1953) was a Southern Arapaho painter from Oklahoma.[1] He painted individual portraits, but was best known for his portrayals of ceremonies and dances.[2]
Background
Carl Sweezy was born in 1881 near the Darlington Agency on the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian Reservation in Indian Territory. His Arapaho name was Wattan, meaning "Black." Sweezy's father was Hinan Ba Seth, meaning "Big Man."[1] His tribe still hunted buffalo when he was a child.[3]
Sweezy's mother died early, so he lived full-time at the
Artwork
Around 1895, when Sweezy was 14 years old,[4] ethnographer James Mooney commissioned Sweezy to paint images of traditional Arapaho life.[3] Later, Sweezy also worked with anthropologist George Dorsey.[5] Sweezy continued to be a prolific painter, expanding his media and materials into the mid-20th century.[6] By the 1920s Sweezy was a full-time painter.[5]
Sweezy worked in watercolors on paper and oil on canvas,
Public collections
Sweezy's work can be found in the following public art collections:
- Cleveland Museum of Natural History
- Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
- The George Gustav Heye Center
- Gilcrease Museum
- Heard Museum
- Indian Arts and Crafts Board, US Department of the Interior
- Oklahoma History Center
- National Museum of the American Indian, Washington DC
- Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
- Philbrook Museum of Art
- Southwest Museum, Los Angeles
- University of Oklahoma, Library[9]
Death
Carl Sweezy died on May 28, 1953[1] in Lawton, Oklahoma.[9]
Quotes
The corn road, we found, was different from the buffalo road in more ways than anyone, white or Indian, had realized, and the old people could not learn it in a hurry. —Carl Sweezy[3]
With war horses running, feathers and banners flying on the wind from spears and lances, shields and quivers shining at men's sides and shoulders, and women singing war songs for their men, I think a war party setting out, or coming in victorious, must have been one of the splendid things in life to see. If I had to miss that, I have had the next best thing: I have seen old warriors wearing their fine trappings, and I have heard them tell their stories... –Carl Sweezy, 1950[6]
Notes
- ^ a b c Gettys, Marshall. Sweezy, Carl (1881-1953) Archived August 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. (15 Nov 2009)
- ^ a b Wyckoff, 243-244
- ^ a b c Wyckoff, 23
- ^ a b c d Daniel C. Swan, 72
- ^ a b Morand et al, 107
- ^ a b c Wyckoff, 243
- ^ Wyckoff, 288
- ^ Swan, 74
- ^ a b Lester, 537
References
- Lester, Patrick D. The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters. Norman and London: The Oklahoma University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-8061-9936-9.
- Morand, Ann, Kevin Smith, Daniel C. Swan, and Sarah Erwin. Treasures of Gilcrease: Selections from the Permanent Collection. Tulsa, OK: Gilcrease Museum, 2003. ISBN 978-0-9725657-1-4.
- Swan, Daniel C.Peyote Religious Art: Symbols of Faith and Belief. Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 1999. ISBN 1-57806-096-6
- Wyckoff, Lydia L., ed. Visions and voices : Native American painting from the Philbrook Museum of Art. Tulsa, OK: Philbrook Museum of Art, 1996. ISBN 0-86659-013-7.