Description

Profile of Wisdom by Howard Terpning -Consignment

LIMITED EDITION PRINT
Limited Edition of: 1000
Image Size: 17 1/2″w x 26″h.
Published: July 1993

“As the title would indicate, I wanted to show someone who has great strength of character. The Plains Indians’ leaders and holy men had incredible wisdom. That’s the feeling I was trying to impart. This man’s face displays strength of character through his expression and features.

“I like working with charcoal. It’s a totally different medium – you’re drawing, not painting. It’s strictly in black and white and since you don’t have the use of colors, your use of values has to carry the picture. You can’t rely on colors to help you out. If you keep the values simple, the image will be stronger and more effective.”

Howard Terpning

Howard Terpning is one of the most lauded painters of Western art. Over his lifetime he’s received the highest awards in the field, including the National Academy of Western Art’s Prix de West, the Hubbard Art Award for Excellence, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Autry National Center, and 2005 Masters of the American West Thomas Moran Memorial Award and countless others. He’s an Emeritus member of the Cowboy Artists of America with over forty-one awards from that organization alone. Quite simply, he’s a living master of Western art.

Born in Illinois and educated at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and the American Academy of Art, Terpning first gained attention with his dramatic movie illustrations for such classic films as The Sound of Music, Dr. Zhivago and the re-issue of Gone with the Wind. His love of the West and Native American traditions guided his direction as he pursued a fine art career. “The American Indian fascinates me,” says Terpning. “The more I study them, the more intrigued I become. There’s always another story waiting to be told.”

Items from Terpning’s own extensive collection of Indian artifacts often appear in his paintings. His historical accuracy and technical prowess form the firm foundation for his style, earning respect from fellow artists, collectors and the native peoples he depicts.

Original Howard Terpning oil paintings now command top prices at Western auctions. Search for the Renegades, an oil from 1981, recently sold for $1.5 million dollars. Limited edition giclees and lithographs by Terpning often sell out at the publisher as soon as they’re released.

“I think it’s important to tell the story of the Plains Indians because their history is our history…part of our heritage,” says the artist. “I feel privileged to be one of their storytellers.”