Robert Draper (painter)

Robert D. Draper
Born
Robert Martin

20 November 1938
Canyon del Muerto, Chinle, Apache County, Arizona, U.S.
Died2000
EducationChinle Boarding School,
Intermountain Indian School,
Institute of American Indian Arts
Notable work"The White House Ruins in Canyon de Chelly" (1966)
Movementrealism

Robert D. Draper (born as Robert Martin;[1] 1938–2000) was a Navajo (Diné) and Hopi/Laguna contemporary artist, known for his watercolor paintings.[2][3] He often painted realistic landscapes of the Navajo (Diné) Reservation and Canyon de Chelly.[4][5]

Biography

Robert D. Draper was born November 20, 1938, in Canyon del Muerto in Chinle, Arizona.[1][4] Chinle is located on the rim of the Canyon de Chelly National Monument. His mother Janet Descheeny was Navajo, and his father Frank Martin was Navajo, Hopi and Laguna.[1] Draper's early education was on the Navajo (Diné) Reservation.[1]

He was raised by his grandparents and changed his name to Robert Draper at age 8, while attending the Chinle Boarding School (now known as Many Farms Community School) from 1947 to 1951. He also attended the Intermountain Indian School from 1951 to 1956, and the Institute of American Indian Arts.[6] He studied art under George Fox.[7] Draper served in the United States Marine Corps. He later worked as an art instructor at the Chinle Boarding School.[4]

Draper's artwork rejected the flatsyle painting typically associated with traditional Navajo painting during this time period, and instead he used perspective and shadow in his works.[1] His art is in the public museum collection at the National Museum of the American Indian.[8][9]

Awards

  • 1985 – first prize and second prize in fine arts division, Annual Navajo Show, Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, Arizona[10]
  • 1975 – first place in non-traditional painting landscapes, for painting "Spring Grass", Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial, Gallup, New Mexico[11]
  • 1973 – first prize, New Mexico State Fair[12]
  • 1973 – best in show, Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial, Gallup, New Mexico[12]
  • 1968 – Woodard Memorial award, for painting "Rain Comes to Round Rock", Gallup Indian Ceremonial, Gallup, New Mexico[13]
  • 1966 – first place in non-traditional painting, for painting "The White House Ruins in Canyon de Chelly", Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial, Gallup, New Mexico[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Tanner, Clara Lee (1973). Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art. Tucson, Arizona: The University of Arizona Press. pp. 368–371. ISBN 9780816503094.
  2. ^ Plateau. Vol. 53–54. Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art. 1981. p. 29.
  3. ^ ARTnews. Vol. 83. ARTnews Associates. 1984. p. 164.
  4. ^ a b c Hagerty, Donald J. (1996). Canyon de Chelly: 100 Hundred Years of Painting and Photography. G. Smith. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-87905-705-3.
  5. ^ "New Art on View". Newspapers.com. Tucson Citizen. November 11, 1967. p. 38. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  6. ^ Lester, Patrick David (1995). The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters. SIR Publications. p. 156. ISBN 978-0-9640706-3-9.
  7. ^ "Robert Draper is Featured Artist Sunday at Kiva Gallery". Newspapers.com. The Gallup Independent. October 18, 1973. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  8. ^ "Painting". National Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  9. ^ "Spring is Here". National Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  10. ^ "Top Winners at Museum Show". Newspapers.com. Arizona Daily Sun. July 24, 1985. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  11. ^ "Indian Arts Judged, Shown for Ceremonial". Newspapers.com. The Gallup Independent. August 14, 1975. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  12. ^ a b "Robert Draper Exhibition in Gallup". Newspapers.com. Albuquerque Journal. October 18, 1973. p. 23. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  13. ^ "Gallup Indian Ceremonial Opens". Newspapers.com. Albuquerque Journal. August 8, 1968. p. 35. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  14. ^ "Top Indian Painters Win Recognition". Newspapers.com. The Gallup Independent. August 10, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-12-25.