Ram Dancer 1986 50x62 Huge

Year1986

Hand SignedSigned Nieto Lower Left Corner 

Condition Excellent - Retail Gallery Price is 55k 

Framed without GlassOriginal Nieto Frame 

Provenance / HistoryThe piece was painted in 1986 and sold to me by John Cacciola owner of Western Images Gallery (subsequently Cacciola Galleries). 

Story / Additional InfoJohn Nieto was part Mescalero Apache and part hispanic. He was always interested in his Apache roots and the Apache culture. The Ram Dancer, or Gaans Dancer, or Mountain Spirit Dancer depicted here is part of a very old and sacred tradition. The dance was believed to have been taught to the Apaches by the mountain spirit as a means of healing. Apaches believe that Usen, the Creator, sent the Gaan to the Apache to teach them to live in harmony.The wooden sticks are used to make the dancer appear to have four legs. The dancer hunches over, using the two sticks as replicas of the ram's front legs. Every aspect of the dancer's colorful costume has some meaning and historical significance. 

Certificate of AuthenticityArt Brokerage 

LID135992

John Nieto - United States

Art Brokerage: John Nieto American Artist: b. 1936-2018. John Nieto is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and exciting contemporary artists in the United States. An innovative interpreter of his native southwest, Nieto's dramatic compositions and bold use of color translate classic American themes into unmistakably modern images that somehow escape the boundaries of time. While Nieto maintains that his art "is the result of an emotional involvement with my subject matter rather than a cerebral one," his powerfully evocative paintings reveal a seamless blend of instinct and keen intelligence. His deft handling of Western motifs - including Native American tribal representatives, warriors, and ceremonial dancers, as well as legendary frontiersmen or indigenous wildlife - demonstrates why these icons still loom large in the national consciousness. Wielding his brush with precision and control, Nieto invests each figure with a mesmerizing presence. Sadly, he passed away in July 2018. Art Brokerage is one of the main secondary market sources for John Nieto original oils on canvas. Listings wanted.