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Caddo County, Oklahoma May 1954 January 15, 1906 ~ May 5, 1954 Kiowa Artist Spencer Asah also known as Lallo [Little Boy] in his Kiowa language was born near Carnegie, Oklahoma. He was the son of a Buffalo Medicine Man. Consequently the atmosphere that he grew up in was full of tribal legends and rituals, the influence of which is evident in his paintings. Additionally, Spencer Asah was a traditional singer and dancer and active in Oklahoma's powwow circuit. Asah's father provided Spencer Asah extensive cultural information that he later used in his art. Asah attended St. Patrick's Indian Mission School in Anadarko, Oklahoma, where he received his first art instruction from Sister Olivia Taylor, a Choctaw nun. He was married to a Comanche, Ida, and had three children, Ola Mae, Ida L., and Kay, a son killed in 1953. As one of the famous early twentieth century Indian painters from Oklahoma, he used themes and images to present the culture of Kiowa dancers and images of Kiowa life. According to Oscar Jacobson, his mentor, his role as a descendant of distinguished medicine people was as custodian to important ceremonial items, including a Kiowa calendar. Asah's flat, two-dimensional work many times presents a profile view of a full figure. His line drawings and paintings were meticulous and exact replications of the feather work and regalia appropriate for the occasion. His dancers are animated and show movement and are accentuated with black and white areas that enhance the forms and colors of the dancers. Murals by Asah are found at the Oklahoma Supreme Court Building [formerly the Oklahoma Historical Society building] in Oklahoma City, at the Federal Building at Anadarko, Oklahoma, and at Fort Sill Indian School. |