Two horses fighting and biting each other. One is brown, one is black, set in an arid landscape

Quincy Tahoma, Fighting for the Herd

Quincy Tahoma
1917-1956
Diné (Navajo)
Alternative Name
Water Edge (Near Water)
Date
1953
Medium Specific
Gouache on paper
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
18 3/4 x 24 3/4 in. (47.6 x 62.9 cm.)
Accession Number
2025.35.15.89
Credit
Gift of Zelma Long and Phillip Freese
Biography
Navajo artist Quincy Tahoma painted a wide variety of subject matter but was perhaps best known for his dynamic action filled paintings. He also painted pictures full of humor. His signature included a vignette, a miniature scene which depicted what happened after the action in the painting. - Lester 1995

While at Santa Fe Indian School, Quincy Tahoma (1917-1956) Water Edge (Near Water) developed his unique painting style. He was active in sports and set a district track record in 1940. After WWII, he established himself as a full-time artist and shared his studios in the Southwest with artists who are now well established. Tahoma’s native name, Water Edge or Near Water, is not a translation of his Diné name but is the name of his mother’s clan. Tahoma died a tragic accidental death at a young age.

Clara Lee Tanner rightly said he was "...one of the most dynamic, imaginative, and gifted of Southwest artists." During most of his life, he experienced misfortune, and died at the age of [38-39]. - Snodgrass 1968 (https://www.adobegallery.com)
Date of Bio
Inscription
Artist signature, date (lrc)