© 2010-2023 by Fine Arts of the Southwest, Inc. All rights reserved.
Unauthorized reproduction or use is strictly prohibited by law.
A matched pair of original Charles Loloma
Hopi pen and ink drawings, “Night Sky” and “Four Directions” c. 1975-80
Ex: Charles and Georgia Loloma Collection
These extraordinary drawings are from the brilliant mind and skilled hands of the great Hopi art impresario, Charles Sequevya Loloma (1921-1991). Although Charles Loloma achieved worldwide renown for his extraordinary and unique jewelry creations, he was a true artistic polymath who was equally proficient in drawing, painting and pottery-making.
The drawing part of the equation he kept mostly to himself, drawing constantly throughout his entire life and career but quietly and seemingly mostly for himself, completely unbeknownst to the many people he dealt with in his outside life. On occasion, he would give a valued friend, associate, colleague or family member one of his drawings but that was a fairly rare occurrence. Charles Kept the vast majority of his drawings until his death in 1991 when they passed to his second wife Georgia Voisard Loloma who in turn kept most of them herself until her death in 2021 after which we were able to acquire a number of them from her estate including this exceptional pair of matching pieces.
“If there is beauty in a piece of art, a person
can absorb it and become more beautiful.”
-Charles Loloma
At left, eighteen year-old Charles Loloma painting murals in one of the Indian Court galleries of the Federal Building, Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco, 1939. At center, Charles Loloma’s Hopi kachina paintings on display at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco. At right, Charles Loloma in the process of drawing "The Messengers", pen and ink on Arches paper, c. 1980's.
Left photo reproduced in "Loloma, Beauty is His Name", by Martha Hopkins Struever, Wheelwright Museum, Santa Fe, 2005, pp. 5. Center photo source and © Denver Art Museum, Native Arts Department.
Entitled “Night Sky” and “Four Directions” these drawings show Loloma at the peak of his artistic prowess; the line work is rich and sure-handed, the compositions dense and layered, Modernist and traditional at the same time, they are simply masterful. Interestingly, one drawing is done in very dark brown ink and the other in red ink but they are clearly meant by size, composition and content to be a related pair. Both drawings draw deep inspiration from Charles' beloved Hopi culture and homeland, the four cardinal directions are what define and govern the world and the night sky covers the cosmos; the source of creation, everlasting mystery and wonder.
The drawings are done in colored pen and ink on one of the world finest, most celebrated artist’s papers from the famed paper mill “Moulin D’arches”, begun in 1492 in Vosges, France. The drawings each measure 4" by 6". Both drawings are signed “Loloma” at the lower right and they are inscribed on their lower versos in Charles Loloma's hand as follows: "Night Sky Original #16" and "Four Directions Original #2 (Br/red ink)". Since the framing covers these inscriptions, we had them photographed and photo prints are attached to the back of the frame as seen above. Both drawings are in immaculate original condition almost as if they were created yesterday. The drawings have been matted and framed to the highest archaical standards under Ultraviolet light-resistant TruVue Museum conservation art glass in a beautiful, hand-carved and beveled light maple wood frame by Santa Fe’’s finest art framers, Goldleaf Framemakers of Santa Fe. The framed dimensions of the piece are 15" by 11 1/2".
These drawings offer a rare and significant opportunity to acquire unique and historic artworks made by
a brilliant, world-renowned artist purely for the joy of making them and for the personal enjoyment and
edification of his most important audience, himself.
SOLD