Portraits Depicting Culture and Character

George Longfish Internationally noted Native American artist George Longfish (Seneca/Tuscarora) is known for his large, vibrant, mixed media paintings that explore contemporary Native American issues. He was director for the Graduate Program in American Indian Art at UM in Professor of Historical and Contemporary Native American Art at the University of California - Davis Through his roles as educator, curator, and artist, Longfish has contributed immensely to the identity and visibility of the contemporary Native American art movement. Longfish’s paintings emphasize the importance of cultural information and passing it on to future generations. Incorporates humor and irony to address issues of decolonization and Native identity.

George Longfish Power Glove Meets Game Boy

George Longfish Portrait of an Artist mixed media on paper, 1985, 40 " x 30"

Jay Polite Labor Jay Polite Labor was born on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana and studied at Salish Kootenai College. Using salvaged car parts as his medium, his work bridges modern reservation life with cultural traditions of the past. His sculpture, Charging Forward is part of MMAC's Permanent Collection of public works on campus, and can be seen in the parking lot north of the Adams Center Fieldhouse.

Jay Polite Labor Charging Forward mixed media sculpture, 2002 Charging Forward depicts an American Indian on horseback playing a traditional Native American hoop game. For this piece, Labor used car parts dating back to the 1940s and 1950s found on the Flathead Reservation.

Richard Castenada Holding the Visions mixed media, 2005

Chuck Close 1940-present Chuck Close is one of the world's leading modern artists. His art focuses on portraits of himself and his family and friends, often produced at a very large scale. Close typically begins with a photograph of a face, then creates a painting or print through the use of a systematic grid of the image. His paintings are even more impressive, given that Close had to relearn how to use his hands following a 1988 spinal infection that left him a quadriplegic.

Chuck Close "Big Self-Portrait", , acrylic on canvas, 107 1/2 x 83 1/2 inches unframed

Leonardo da Vinci Renaissance Artist, Self Portrait

Leonardo da Vinci Portrait of St. Anne

Resources UC Davis, The Walker Art Center, Traditional Fine Art Organization Inc.