Kevin Red Star | Legends of the Horse People

black hawk
(crow indian man)

acrylic, mixed media on canvas

60 x 48 inches

2023

Kevin Red Star

legends of the horse people

Somewhere between document and myth, Kevin Red Star’s paintings invite us to imagine the lifeway of his people, the Apsáalooke (the Crow), as it might have been in the past. Through the use of historic photographs and personal sketches from fairs and ceremonies, he documents the clothing and adornment of Apsáalooke culture, adding authenticity to his striking graphic imagery. His expert use of formal design elements like negative space, symmetry, and color lead us to modern view of a past rooted in traditional mythologies. Each figure and face is individualized—a portrait of a specific person; perhaps an ancestor, a famous Apsáalooke, a family member. In total, his work is an affirmation of the spirit of his people on their land and its persistence through history.

A member of the 1962 inaugural class of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Red Star studied with Alan Houser, Lloyd Kiva New, and James McGrath. With training firmly rooted in Modern Art, Red Star’s paint splatters recall abstract expressionism, his background stippling evokes pointillism, his color choices lead our eye through the painting like a story. The modern meets the past and they each elevate the other.

Over the past 60 years Red Star has risen to his own eminent status in the art world, appearing in over 100 exhibits and more than 40 solo exhibits. In June of 2022, he was chosen to be the first artist to promote the theme Sacred Ground for the Norman Maclean Book Festival, a bi-annual event touching important topics of the day and blending the fields of visual arts and literature.

Biography
Kevin Red Star grew up on the Crow reservation in southern Montana. A member of a highly creative family, he was known as the go-to artist for all school projects. He was chosen to be in the first group of students at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe in the 1960s. The school provided a learning environment of tribal tradition, world art history, and current trends, and encouraged collaboration and experimentation. Red Star continued his studies at the San Francisco Art Institute.

In the decades that followed, year after year, through difficulty and triumph, grief and joy, Kevin has continued to paint. His fame has grown along with the increasing clarity and complexity of his paintings. He is known for his attention to historical detail in his depictions of warriors, ceremonies, costumes, and tipis. Each element, no matter how small, has specific meaning and significance within the context of tradition.

Above and beyond accuracy, Kevin Red Star’s deep experience is expressed in the color and composition of image after image. Each one is a complete statement in itself; each remains in the mind’s eye long after viewing it. Tipis cluster in close community, their long, graceful poles fanning out to catch the stars and sunbeams. Women gather for ceremonies in richly ornamented clothing. Warriors go forth on proud Appaloosa ponies, their bows and shields at the ready to protect their encampments. In every painting, the subject springs vividly to life, reflecting the mastery of style and technique he has gained over the course of the years.

Kevin Red Star continues to evolve and refine his art every day in his spacious studio, located near the Crow reservation in Roberts, Montana. His work is in a number of important museum collections, including The Smithsonian Institution/National Museum of the American Indian, CM Russell Museum, Heard Museum, Denver Art Museum, Eiteljorg Museum, Southwest Museum, Whitney Museum of Western Art, Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, and the United States Department of State.

— excerpted from kevinredstar.com/about/

For additional information or to see other images visit: www.kevinredstar.com

Kevin Red Star: Prayers for the Vision Seeker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yif_AkCRrcw