WILLIAM ROBINSON LEIGH (American, 1866-1955). The Chastised Pupil. Oil on masonite. 25-1/4 x 22-1/2 inches (64.1 x 57.2 ...

Description

WILLIAM ROBINSON LEIGH (American, 1866-1955)
The Chastised Pupil
Oil on masonite
25-1/4 x 22-1/2 inches (64.1 x 57.2 cm)
Signed lower left: W. R. Leigh

The Chastised Pupil visualizes one of the several Native American boarding schools established by the U.S. government at the turn of the century in order to assimilate tribal peoples into mainstream American society. Ringed by an audience of his classmates, a weeping boy stands center stage and prepares to receive some type of punishment. Figure painter William Leigh comments on the racial difference between the pupils and their teacher, as well as on the western dress of the children, highlighted by the girls' oversized bows.

Such a humanistic portrayal of Native Americans characterizes much of Leigh's work, particularly his genre scenes of the Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo tribes. After training at the Maryland Institute of Art and the Munich Royal Academy, Leigh spent ten years as a magazine illustrator before traveling to the Southwest in 1906 - a trip financed through the Santa Fe Railroad in exchange for paintings of the Grand Canyon. On subsequent excursions to Arizona, New Mexico, the Dakotas, and Wyoming, Leigh befriended Indian peoples and observed firsthand their ritual ceremonies. The Chastised Pupil shows Leigh's trademark narrative format and bold coloration.



More information about WILLIAM ROBINSON LEIGH. See also: Leigh, William Robinson, Leigh, William, William Robinson Leigh Artist.

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