Cowboy and ​“Indian” Film

Raphael Montañez Ortiz, Cowboy and "Indian" Film, 1957-1958, 16mm film, black and white, sound, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gary Wolkowitz, 2011.31, © 1957-1958, Raphael Montañez Ortiz

Artwork Details

Title
Cowboy and ​“Indian” Film
Artist
Date
1957-1958
Location
Not on view
Copyright
© 1957-1958, Raphael Montañez Ortiz
Credit Line
Gift of Gary Wolkowitz
Mediums
Mediums Description
16mm film, black and white, sound
Classifications
Object Number
2011.31
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2011.31

Artwork Description

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
Description in Spanish

Ortiz produjo obras experimentales en las cuales utilizó películas existentes como materia prima para su propio arte. En su obra Cowboy and ​“Indian” Film cortó ritualmente varias copias del western clásico Winchester ​’73 (1950) de Anthony Mann, y luego ensambló al azar los trozos para destruir totalmente la narrativa original y la integridad audiovisual de la película. Ortiz consideraba que su proceso chamanístico resonaba con su herencia indígena. Su acto destructivo también critica la manera en que los medios de comunicación representan a los indígenas americanos.

Nuestra América: la presencia latina en el arte estadounidense, 2013

Works by this artist (4 items)

Henry Wolf, Robert Frederick Blum, Japanese Girl (The Musmee), 1891, photomechanical wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.54
Japanese Girl (The Musmee)
Artist
Date1891
photomechanical wood engraving on paper
Not on view
Robert Frederick Blum, A Difficult Place, 1877, etching, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Museum of American History, Division of Graphic Arts, Smithsonian Institution, 1971.160
A Difficult Place
Artist
Date1877
etching
Not on view
Robert Frederick Blum, Canal in Venice, San Trovaso Quarter, ca. 1885, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1909.7.7
Canal in Venice, San Trovaso Quarter
Artist
Dateca. 1885
oil on canvas
Not on view
Robert Frederick Blum, William Baxter Closson, The Colonial Governor, n.d., wood engraving, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Museum of American History, Division of Graphic Arts, Smithsonian Institution, 1971.176
The Colonial Governor
Artist
Daten.d.
wood engraving
Not on view

Related Books

OurAmerica_500.jpg
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art explores how Latino artists shaped the artistic movements of their day and recalibrated key themes in American art and culture. This beautifully illustrated volume presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge. Our America includes works by artists who participated in all the various artistic styles and movements, including abstract expressionism; activist, conceptual, and performance art; and classic American genres such as landscape, portraiture, and scenes of everyday life. 

Exhibitions

Media - 2011.12 - SAAM-2011.12_1 - 77591
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
October 25, 2013–March 2, 2014
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.

More Artworks from the Collection

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Claire Falkenstein, City is Man, 1941-1952, linocut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.14, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
City is Man
Artist
Date1941-1952
linocut
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Untitled
Artist
Date1976
embossed paper
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Mandala
Artist
Date1977
lithograph
Not on view
Image Not Available
Les Quais de la Seine a Paris
Artist
Date1917
hand-colored etching on postcard
Not on view