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Perhaps one of the most well-known painters of the American West, Maynard Dixon first became enamored by the West while visiting Arizona and Mexico. Although he was initially paid to create idealized visions of the West as a commercial artist, he later decided to move to California so that he could depict the West more authentically. Beginning his work in impressionism, he later moved away from this and began to take a more modernist approach. He would later embrace realism and move to Utah, where the people and landscape would serve as a constant source of inspiration.Label Type
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Maynard Dixon’s imagery of the Southwest has helped to form the collective public’s understanding of the American West. While staying firmly grounded in reality, Dixon’s work was dedicated to depicting the “real” Southwest and this dedication can clearly be seen in his drawing of an indigenous Mexican woman. His use of color helps to highlight the woman’s features and infuse her with a sense of calm and dignity. Although this can be seen as a piece that perpetuates the “stoic native” stereotype, it also allows the subject to be aged and weathered by life.