Lloyd Kiva New

Untitled (Landscape)

While best known for his work in fashion, Lloyd Kiva New was deeply involved in the arts world at large. In 1962, he cofounded the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, becoming a major influence in educating generations of Native artists. Similar to his fashion designs, New’s paintings primarily feature geometric and abstract motifs. In this painting, New used bold colors and wide horizontal bands to suggest dimension, perhaps alluding to a landscape. The paint is applied lightly enough that the fabric of the canvas features prominently. New, himself Cherokee, utilized the core Cherokee concepts of balance and harmony through his use of color, form, verticality, and horizontality. The color-gradient ovals in the bottom half of the canvas are grouped into four—a sacred number in Cherokee culture. Though New retired a few years prior to creating Untitled, the composition signals a moment of renewed freedom and experimentation for the artist.