Fritz Scholder

Fritz Scholder:  Insulting Expressionist or Artistic Genius?

http://www.achievement.org
/autodoc/photocredit/achievers
/sch1-011

http://bloximages.chicago2.
vip.townnews.com/taosnews.com
/content/tncms/assets/
v3/editorial/b/79/b793996b-b4ad-5e77-a
3a8-3d91e250f9a7/
4e5d013f1a87d.preview-300.jpg

Fritz Scholder is a very controversial figure in relation to Native American art. Many people think his five decades dedicated to creating paintings, sculptures, prints, and photography were meaningful and respectable, while other believe him to be completely crazy. In the last few days I have analyzed this subject thoroughly. 

I started off by learning a little bit about his background and family life. Born and raised in Breckenridge, Minnesota, Fritz grew up in a stable family with several siblings. Although he was one-fourth Luiseno (grandmother was fully Native American), he was raised as if he were completely white. His father decided his children would have better opportunities and be seen differently if they assimilated with the whites. In a quote from the National Museum of the American Indian, Fritz states, "My father learned to be ashamed of his heritage when he attended Indian Schools and accepted without 'ranco' to live as white. That is what he wanted for his children and that is why he sent us to white schools." Fritz does not consider himself to be Native American, and yet he is known for being the "leader of the New American Art Movement"

There are a range of different opinions towards Fritz Scholder, but I want to turn your focus toward two. The first being that he is an Insulting Expressionist. From the get-go of my research, I saw Scholder as a confusing human being. On one hand he paints beautiful scenes that can't help but be applauded, but then he says things like, "I've never had any fear about the work, simply because I give thanks every day that I've been able to take my craziness and make it work for me. And I'm completely crazy. I'm so intense that I am out, all the time, somewhere else. And I had to learn to communicate, to act calm because if I couldn't paint, I would be on the streets shooting people." How can one read that quote and think of him as a successful and renowned painter? As Frtiz Scholder aged, he had major medical problems such as Scoliosis and Diabetes and became even mentally unstable. In his painting Blood Skull No. 1 he used his own blood as part of his medium!(see below) Scholder has an odd perspective on his heritage. He believes that " ...man's excellence is equal to his most tragic flaw". This shows that although he doesn't like being associated with his Indian heritage, It will always be a part of him and what ultimately made him famous.

Frtiz Scholder's Blood Skull No. 1
2001
http://nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/scholder/works.html 

The second approach towards Scholder, is simply that he is an artistic genius. In an article I read, written by Jenna Sant she states that Fritz attempts to, "Deconstruct more than a century of romantic images of Native Americans and approach the American Indian in real terms." After reading the above quotation, I was reminded of the "natural man" or the American cowboy. Cowboys post Civil War, were romanticized and made out to be violent, free spirited men that were in touch with nature. In reality, they were low paid cow herders that lived lifes of discomfort and loneliness. I had a new sense of understanding for Fritz Scholder by the end of her article. It was obvious that he was not trying to offend Native Americans, but rather make others to see them for what they were, just ordinary people. He wanted to express his observations and rule out the idea that Indians were mythic creatures. Scholder did so by paint pictures such as Super Indian No. 2 and Indian With Beer. (see below) By including items such as ice cream and beer, Fritz provides context clues for readers. Scholder wants his audience to come to the conclusion that Indians share similar qualities to whites and express his idiom "Real, not Red".

Super Indian No. 2
http://nmai.si.edu/exhibitions
/scholder/works.html

Indian With Beer
 http://www.achievement.org/autodoc
/photocredit/achievers/sch1-008 

In conclusion, Fritz Scholder may seem like a disrespectful and offensive artist, but with a little research it is obvious that he meant no harm. If anything, he used his bright colors and modern style to help transform and inspire a new perspective on Native Americans. Scholder has been acknowledged for his efforts and received honors from the Ford, Rockefeller, and Whitney Foundations. All in all he was a great artist with a very unique and distinguished style.  

Indian in Canoe
http://www.achievement.org
/autodoc/photocredit/achievers/sch1-020

Indian No. 1
1967
http://nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/scholder/works.html

Indian with Flag

Resources:

New York Times
National Museum of the American Indian

Academy of Achievement
NPR
Jenna Sant's Article