Yanktonai Dakota artist Oscar Howe often portrayed historical or communal stories in his work. This painting—made with a paint derived from casein, or milk protein—depicts Winyan Nupa, or Double Woman. Stories among the Plains tribes about Winyan Nupa describe her as a seemingly ordinary woman with a terrifying second face hidden on the back of her head. Winyan Nupa is a complicated figure who may have nefarious intentions through her dual identity, but she is also known for bringing the art practice of quillwork to the women in the community. However, along with this new art form comes the warning that a balanced life must exist and that all energy cannot be focused only on creating as it will overwhelm the creator in a negative way. As a figure, Winyan Nupa represents the duality of humankind, a reminder that people are neither all good nor all bad.
Oscar Howe
25 x 21 3/8 in. (63.5 x 54.3 cm)
Art Bridges
1962
Casein on paper
AB.2026.16
Artist; to Mr. and Mrs. Allen Schreiber; to private collection; to Terrence Brayboy, Chapel Hill, NC; to Damon Thielen, Pewaukee, WI; (Trotta-Bono Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA); purchased by the John and Susan Horseman Collection, 2024