Rabbit Hunter

Johnson Antonio, Rabbit Hunter, 1986, watercolor and pencil on carved cottonwood, 21 127 345 14 in. (54.619.713.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.44

Artwork Details

Title
Rabbit Hunter
Date
1986
Dimensions
21 127 345 14 in. (54.619.713.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
watercolor and pencil on carved cottonwood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Indian
  • Occupation — hunter
  • Figure male — full length
  • Object — game — rabbit
Object Number
1997.124.44

Artwork Description

Johnson Antonio carves Navajo figures from cottonwood, using an axe to form a rough shape, and a pocketknife to create the detail. He paints the surface with house paint, watercolors, and dleesh, a fragile white clay used by the Navajos to paint their bodies, and sometimes adds real animal hair or horns (Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia, 1990). In Navajo Woman and Rabbit Hunter the rough surfaces reflect the harshness of survival on the slopes of New Mexico's Bisti hills.

Works by this artist (3 items)

Tod Papageorge, Brazilian Festival, New York City, 1978, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Virginia Zabriskie, 1983.110.6, © 1984, Tod Papageorge
Brazilian Festival, New York City
Date1978
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Tod Papageorge, Albuquerque, N.M., 1973, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.1066, © 1977, Tod Papageorge
Albuquerque, N.M.
Date1973
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Tod Papageorge, New York City Discothéque, 1979, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Virginia Zabriskie, 1983.110.5, © 1984, Tod Papageorge
New York City Discothéque
Date1979
gelatin silver print
Not on view

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Date1941-1952
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Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
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Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
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