Fiesta in Taos

Julius Rolshoven

1917 · Pastel on paper · The American Wing

Rolshoven spent most of his career abroad before returning to the United States in 1915 after the outbreak of World War I. The following year he arrived in New Mexico, where he remained for several years. The ancient multi-story Taos Pueblo was a popular subject for local artists, notably the Taos Society of Artists (1915-1927), an exhibition cooperative dedicated to representations of Southwestern Indians in their natural surroundings. Here Rolshoven contrasts alternating bands of the red-brown adobe complex with its inhabitants, who are dressed in vibrant colors to celebrate a Taos Pueblo spiritual feast day by eating, dancing, and communing.

Artist

Julius Rolshoven

Date

1917

Medium

Pastel on paper

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Harriette B. Rolshoven, 1954