American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists Featuring the Papageorge Family Collection

Exhibited

"Painters in Taos, the Formative Years: The Eiteljorg Collection," Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona, February 22-April 13, 1980 (per label verso).

Note

Berninghaus, one of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists, first visited northern New Mexico in 1899 while on assignment for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Dividing his time between the Southwest and St. Louis for much of the next two decades, he settled permanently in Taos in 1925. Until his death in 1952, Berninghaus trained his eye on his adopted home in the High Desert—its stunning landscapes and, especially, its native inhabitants.

Berninghaus' sensitivity to his subjects–and his success as a painter–may be attributed to the privileged position he held within the Pueblo Indian community. He was one of the few non-natives to be admitted to the kivas of the Pueblo, an honor uncommon for the time. This access, and the close relationships Berninghaus forged over the course of 25 years, uniquely positioned him to document the customs and traditions–indeed, the spirit and character–of Native American life.

The Water Hole, a compelling picture that belies its modest dimensions, depicts a pair of figures on horseback under a grove of piñon pines. The expansive Southwestern landscape–a patchwork of russet and green–unfolds behind them. An interplay of light, shadow, and atmosphere–much beloved by Berninghaus and his Taos Society of Artists colleagues–affords the painting an almost lyrical quality. Berninghaus' riders and their mounts, and the region's arid, undulating hills, offer a striking tableau: Native American life, sensitively portrayed, amid the natural beauty of the High Desert.