Mythic Hawk (Egypt), Rick Bartow, 1999, Minneapolis Institute of Art: Art of Africa and the Americas
slightly abstracted image; hawk's head at top on large, hulking, sketchy human silhouette in orange with green and yellow; rust ground; salmon-colored border; scratching in LLC; white symbol in URC; dark brown frame Rick Bartow is a well-known Native American artist from the Wiyot and Yurok tribes of Northern California. He traces his artistic influences to Marc Chagall and Francis Bacon. His interest is in depicting human and animal forms through painting and sculpture. His work is also inspired by his military service in Vietnam, with some reference to his Native American heritage. He often depicts transformational scenes, such as this work, a figure with a hawk head. According to the artist, hawks have made appearances at important times in his life. They appeared to him a few days before his uncle passed away, and are often near his studio.
Size: 24 x 23 5/8 in. (60.96 x 60.01 cm) 29 13/16 x 28 7/8 in. (75.72 x 73.34 cm) (outer frame)
Medium: Acrylic on panel