Native Artists AMARA LIEGEROT ELDER Acee Blue Eagle, though not widely known today, represented a true enlightenment in the emerging world of American Indian art. He was among the first Indian artists to truly embrace his heritage and embark upon a solo career, traveling worldwide promoting himself and his art. He began drawing and painting in 1919 at age 12, at a time when Indian art was just beginning to blossom in Oklahoma. With the encouragement and support of his grandfather and those who later came into his life, he found his calling early on. When the Kiowa Five artists of Oklahoma began painting together and were introduced to the world at around this same time as a group, Blue Eagle set out on the path alone. ACEE BLUE EAGLE Acee Blue Eagle (Lumhee Holot-Tee) was born Alexander McIntosh in 1907 in the small village of Hitchita in the heart of the Creek Nation, in Oklahoma Territory, to a Muscogee Creek father and Pawnee/Wichita mother. Orphaned early in life, he was whisked away to Oklahoma Indian boarding schools. At Chilocco Indian School, he began to take a serious interest in developing his love of art into a career. After graduation from Chilocco, he attended Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma for two years, then transferred to the University of Oklahoma, graduating with a fine arts degree in 1932. OSCAR JACOBSON AND THE "FLAT STYLE" At the University of Oklahoma, Blue Eagle was befriended by Professor Oscar Jacobson, director of the university's School of Art. Jacobson would become a major force in his life, as his adviser, his longtime associate and, in Blue Eagle's own words, his "guru." Jacobson once told him, "Of course I can't teach you the art. The knowledge of the Indian spiritualism and religious symbols is yours, the heritage from your forefathers. But I will help you to concentrate all your efforts in becoming a great artist." Jacobson was known for his work with the Kiowa Five artists -- Monroe Tsatoke, Spencer Asah, Stephen Mopope, Jack Hokeah, Lois Smoky and James Auchiah (see Summer 1995 issue) -- which resulted in a special portfolio of Kiowa Five paintings printed in France to worldwide acclaim in 1929. It would be through Blue Eagle and the Kiowa Five that the traditional Oklahoma "flat style" of art would become so well known. The two-dimensional paintings featured flat areas of color with heavy outline, usually with no background. The subject matter was usually that of buffalo hunting, domestic scenes and ceremonial dances. Almost simultaneously with this Oklahoma art movement came the development of the Santa Fe Art School under the guidance of Dorothy Dunn, later referred to as The Studio, which began to emerge in 1932. Many talented artists from the surrounding pueblos and other tribes began to excel here in their art, including Oscar Howe, Jose Rey Toledo, Harrison Begay, Gerald Nailor, Allan Houser and Pablita Velarde. According to Dunn, "It had not occurred to most students to think of their Native art as art. Indian art was something accepted without thinking about it, as a part of everyday life." The Oklahoma and Southwest artists traveled back and forth so frequently they often became adopted family members, painting with one another and exchanging ideas. The early contact between these two major art movements was significant in promoting a shared artistic tradition. There were many similarities between both schools, primarily the flat style and the use of water-based paint. Art historian Arthur Silberman once described this relationship as follows: "Mutual support, competition, and exchange characterized the relationship between artists and teachers at the Studio, the University of Oklahoma, and Bacone College." Blue Eagle truly felt a need to communicate and educate, through his art, the importance of his ancestral traditions to the non-Indian community. His art reflected distinct aspects of Creek and Pawnee culture, ceremonies, customs and dress. It was usually painted with watercolor or tempera on colored paper, and was often characterized by large areas of flat color with single, simple figures. His favorite subjects were dancers, musicians, hunting scenes or medicine men in traditional regalia. The background images were generally clumps of grass or vegetation, which would also include an abstract sun, water birds, clouds, geometric designs or symbols. His favorite subject matter, particularly for murals, was scenes of the great buffalo hunt. One of the highlights in Blue Eagle's life was the trip he would take to Europe, upon the advice of Oscar Jacobson, where he lectured at Oxford University in England. He was invited to Buckingham Palace to play the flute, sing, dance and talk about his art and culture. While there he met a little girl named Elizabeth, who would later become Queen of England. Afterward, he traveled throughout Europe, including Scotland, Italy, France and Switzerland, lecturing on American Indian art. He Created Many Murals Blue Eagle also participated in the mural projects under the Works Progress Administration developed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the mid-1930s. In fact, he considered himself primarily a muralist, and was heavily influenced by Thomas Hart Benton and Diego Rivera. Both Benton and Rivera were consumed with the idea of painting and preserving the "images of their people," reflecting the public and social significance of their time. Blue Eagle understood the importance of documenting one's people for the sake of posterity. He once stated his primary goal was to "preserve the culture and traditions of the early Indians in lasting public works." He was involved with many mural projects scattered across the state of Oklahoma, including the Women's College in Chickasha, Central State College in Edmond, the Carnegie Library and Veteran's Hospital in Muskogee, and the Seminole and Coalgate post offices. Unfortunately, many of these murals were painted over or otherwise destroyed. In the fall of 1935, Blue Eagle became director of the first art department at Bacone College, where he would be instrumental in the emergence of the art style known as the Baconian School. The institution eventually gained national recognition as producing highly talented and successful artists. At the height of his career, Blue Eagle signed up to serve in the Army Air Corps during World War II. After surviving a B-17 plane crash, he was reassigned from aerial reconnaissance to "special assignments," which included working as a camouflage artist and illustrator for safety programs. In 1945, after his discharge from the Army Air Corps, he returned to Oklahoma and was hired as artist-in-residence at Oklahoma State University Technological School in Okmulgee. Although he traveled all over the country and around the world, Blue Eagle never forgot where he came from, nor the many friends and people who supported and helped him along the way. His engaging and colorful yet kindhearted personality won him many lifelong friends over the years. He was well known not only as an artist, but as a dancer, performer, musician, writer, teacher and poet. He possessed a special gift of engaging and captivating his audiences through his art, music and storytelling. He enjoyed being in the limelight, although when it was all said and done, he was truly a humble, joyful soul who was happy and content to return to his Native roots and his home in Oklahoma. Copyright 2012 References Reno, D. Contemporary Native American Artists. 1995. Schaaf, G. American Indian Jewelry I: 1200 Artist Biographies. 2003. |
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| Stephen Mopope's "Squaw Dance" |
