Description:

William Robinson Leigh (American, 1866-1955), "The Water Girl of Walpi", gouache on paper, signed lower left, 7 7/8 in. x 5 3/4 in., framed; together with a first edition signed copy of Leigh, W.R. Frontiers of Enchantment: An Artist's Adventures in Africa. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1938. (2 pcs.) Note: Trained at the Royal Academy in Munich, William Robinson Leigh returned to the United States and began working as a magazine illustrator. Although he lived in New York primarily, Leigh often traveled, particularly to the American West to sketch scenes for his illustrations and paintings. He also visited Africa in 1926 and wrote a book based on his experiences there titled Frontiers of Enchantment: An Artist's Adventures in Africa. Leigh enjoyed writing about and painting western scenes, including the Grand Canyon, cowboys, and Native Americans; he was particularly interested in the Hopi and Navajo nations. In the painting presented here, Leigh portrays a young woman carrying a water vessel in a cloth carrier slung over her back. The Hopi people of Walpi, Arizona have lived in that area since 900 AD, and they have maintained their traditions, such as carrying water in this manner—"Hopi women preferred this method to balancing pottery jars on their heads as the women at Acoma and Zuni did." Many of the villages on the mesa tops are still without running water today, and Leigh's portrayal of an important cultural tradition helps to teach others about the Hopi nation. The beautiful brushwork of the cliffs, woman's clothing, and reflection on the surface of the water are well executed and exhibit Leigh's skill.

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June 22, 2019 10:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US

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