Rabbit Hunt

Rabbit Hunt

c. 1925
Artist
E. Martin Hennings, American, 1886-1956
Born: New Jersey
Work Locations: Taos, NM
Country
United States
Object
painting
Medium
Oil paint on canvas
Accession Number
2001.449
Credit Line
William Sr. and Dorothy Harmsen Collection

E. Martin Hennings, Rabbit Hunt, about 1925. Oil on canvas; 35 ½ x 39 ½ in. Denver Art Museum: William Sr. and Dorothy Harmsen Collection, 2001.449

 

Dimensions
frame height: 45 1/4 in, 114.9350 cm; frame width: 49 5/16 in, 125.2538 cm; frame depth: 3 1/2 in, 8.8900 cm; image height: 35 1/2 in, 90.1700 cm; image width: 39 1/2 in, 100.3300 cm
Inscription
Signed at lower right
Department
Petrie Institute of Western American Art
Collection
Petrie Institute of Western American Art
This object is currently on view

Born in Chicago, E. Martin Hennings studied in Munich and traveled through Europe before visiting Taos in 1917. Rather than placing Native Americans in an imagined past, Hennings observed their lifestyle in the present. In this painting, a dark storm fills the background and pushes the brightly lit foreground figures toward the viewer. The Native Americans wear moccasins and woven blankets as well as nontraditional clothing such as a tennis sweater and neckties.

Nacido en Chicago, E. Martin Hennings estudió en Múnich y viajó por Europa antes de visitar Taos en 1917. En lugar de representar a los indígenas en un pasado imaginario, prefirió observar su estilo de vida en el presente. Aquí, una tormenta oscura llena el fondo del cuadro y empuja hacia el espectador las figuras iluminadas en el primer plano. Los indígenas usan mocasines y mantas tejidas, además de ropa no tradicional como un suéter de tenis y corbata.

Known Provenance
(The Village Gallery), Taos, NM; William Sr. and Dorothy Harmsen, Golden, CO, 1967; Gifted to the Denver Art Museum, 2001.
Exhibition History
  • "Colorado Collects Historic Western Art"—Denver Art Museum, Jan 13–April 15, 1973
  • "A Place in the Sun: The Southwest Paintings of Walter Ufer and E. Martin Hennings"—Denver Art Museum, 12/13/2015 - 4/24/2016
  • Philbrook Museum of Art, 5/29/2016 - 8/28/2016
  • "BackStory: Western American Art in Context"—History Colorado, 3/18/2017 - 2/11/2018

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