Moses Stranger Horse
Encyclopedia
Moses Stranger Horse was a Brulé
Lakota realist painter from the Rosebud Indian Reservation
in South Dakota
.
in 1890. In 1911, he was taken to Pennsylvania to attend Carlisle Indian School. There he received art lessons from Angel De Cora
, the accomplished Ho-Chunk
painter, whose philosophy was that Native peoples could both maintain cultural pride and a place in mainstream society through art.
Stranger Horse joined the American Expeditionary Force
and was stationed in Paris during World War I. After the war, he stayed on in Paris to pursue his artistic studies. He learned realistic oil painting techniques.
He traveled throughout the United States, demonstrating his painting skills at fairs and rodeos. Stranger Horse would perform feats of dexterity, such as painting with both hands simultaneously or painting with the canvas upside-down. He exhibited his work at the 1939 New York World's Fair
and gave public painting demonstrations. His artist name was “Sundown.” His work was celebrated by both European-American audiences as well as Native audiences.
in Pine Ridge
and the Journey Museum
in Rapid City, South Dakota
. “With all the progressive adventuresomeness inherent in the character of the western Sioux, Stranger Horse took the first bold step of any modern Sioux artists to intentionally and completely master what was still the foreign art forms of the white man.”
Brulé
The Brulé are one of the seven branches or bands of the Teton Lakota Sioux American Indian nation. They are known as Sičháŋǧu Oyáte , or "Burnt Thighs Nation," and so, were called Brulé by the French...
Lakota realist painter from the Rosebud Indian Reservation
Rosebud Indian Reservation
The Rosebud Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in South Dakota, United States. It is the home of the federally recognized Sicangu Oyate, also known as Sicangu Lakota, the Upper Brulé Sioux Nation, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe , a branch of the Lakota people...
in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
.
Background
A Brulé Lakota from Rosebud, Stranger Horse was born outside of Wood, South DakotaWood, South Dakota
Wood is a town in Mellette County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 62 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Wood is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
in 1890. In 1911, he was taken to Pennsylvania to attend Carlisle Indian School. There he received art lessons from Angel De Cora
Angel De Cora
Angel De Cora Dietz was a Winnebago painter, illustrator, Native American rights advocate, and teacher at Carlisle Indian School. She was the best known Native American artist before World War I.-Background:...
, the accomplished Ho-Chunk
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
painter, whose philosophy was that Native peoples could both maintain cultural pride and a place in mainstream society through art.
Stranger Horse joined the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
and was stationed in Paris during World War I. After the war, he stayed on in Paris to pursue his artistic studies. He learned realistic oil painting techniques.
Art career
Returning to South Dakota, Stranger Horse painted dramatic landscapes of his own homelands, sometimes with images of early Lakota people. Native cowboys and ranch hands were also favorite subjects. Besides working in oils, Stranger Horse also drew.He traveled throughout the United States, demonstrating his painting skills at fairs and rodeos. Stranger Horse would perform feats of dexterity, such as painting with both hands simultaneously or painting with the canvas upside-down. He exhibited his work at the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
and gave public painting demonstrations. His artist name was “Sundown.” His work was celebrated by both European-American audiences as well as Native audiences.
Death and legacy
Stranger Horse died in 1941 at the Rosebud Reservation. His work is in the collection of Red Cloud Heritage CenterRed Cloud High School (South Dakota)
Red Cloud High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City and serves Oglala Lakota Native American children on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.-Background:...
in Pine Ridge
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...
and the Journey Museum
The Journey Museum and Gardens
The Journey Museum and Gardens is a museum in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA with of gardens. It is set up as a journey through the history of the Black Hills, starting with the Native American creation stories, moving into the 2.5 billion years of history in the rock record with the geology...
in Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
. “With all the progressive adventuresomeness inherent in the character of the western Sioux, Stranger Horse took the first bold step of any modern Sioux artists to intentionally and completely master what was still the foreign art forms of the white man.”