Ortiz produced experimental works in which he used existing films as the raw material for his own art. In Cowboy and “Indian” Film, he ritually chopped up several copies of Anthony Mann’s classic Western Winchester ’73 (1950) and then randomly reassembled snippets to completely destroy the original movie’s narrative and audiovisual integrity. Ortiz considered his shaman-like process resonant with his indigenous heritage. His destructive act also criticized media depictions of Native Americans.
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013
- Title
-
Cowboy and “Indian” Film
- Artist
- Date
- 1957-1958
- Location
- Not on view
- Copyright
-
© 1957-1958, Raphael Montañez Ortiz
- Credit Line
-
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Gary Wolkowitz
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- 16 mm film, black and white, sound
- Classifications
- Object Number
-
2011.31
- Palette
- Linked Open Data
- Linked Open Data URI
