Research Assignment
Viktoriia Khvan
Art 103 Section K
Fall 2016 – Truman College
Dec. 11, 2016

Walter Ufer
The Solemn Pledge, Taos Indians
Oil on canvas
1916
101.9 x 92.1 cm (40 1/8 x 36 1/4 in.)
Art Institute of Chicago

Walter Ufer was born in 1876 in Germany, but soon his family emigrated in Louisville, Kentucky, where Ufer grew up. His father was a master engraver and gunsmith, so when the young Walter was old enough to help, he was apprenticed to a lithography firm. From the very young age Ufer showed interest in art and when it was time to think about education, Ufer with the strong support of his parents and teachers went to Europe where he studied at the Royal Applied Art Schools and the Royal Academy in Dresden. After returning to …show more content…
There are four figures: two taller and older persons that seem to be a couple, and at the center we see their daughter and grandson. The two figures of a young woman and a boy are shown in the center foreground. It is not easy to determine what is happening in the painting, but from what we see we can assume that the young woman is working in the field, and her parents and little son came to visit her at lunchtime. It’s a warm, sunny day, probably in the fall. The sun is shining brightly, the skies are blue and behind the figures we see a stunning hilly landscape of New Mexico. The whole atmosphere of the painting is very peaceful and filled with sense of nature and …show more content…
This award was generally given to European artists, and Ufer was also the first New Mexico artist to receive it. Today Ufer's works can be found in different major collections, including the Phoenix Art Museum, the Anschutz Collection in Denver, and the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ufer sold a lot of his paintings at high prices and achieved national recognition for his art. His paintings were acquired by several museums and he was made a member of the National Academy of Design