Indian Cliche

Fritz Scholder (Luiseño 1937-2005) Indian Cliché (State IV) 1978 Lithograph

Fritz Scholder became one of the first Native American artists to gain wide acceptance in the art world, despite -- and sometimes in spite of -- his ancestry. Early in his career Scholder disavowed his birthright, afraid to be forever labeled ‘Native American Artist'. Before his heritage was acknowledged, Scholder was recognized as a talented artist who blended Abstract Expressionism with Pop Art to arrive at visually spectacular social commentary. Later, while teaching Native American art students who felt disenfranchised from the art world, Scholder found a way to confront Indian stereotypes, personally and artistically, with a unique brand of public commentary.

To do so, Scholder deconstructed famous images of Indians that had been popularized in the late 19th century by white photographers like Edward S. Curtis, A.C. Vroman, and Matthew Brady. In "Indian Cliché," Scholder simultaneously tackles one of the most famous Indian stereotypes -the vanishing race -and one of the most enduring Indian images-James Earle Fraser's "The End of the Trail."

Can you name other Native American Artists? Do you assume they are famous because of their ethnicity or their artistry?