Exhibition Guide

Seated before a window, Luzanna Lujan and her two sisters assume a serene stillness as monumental as the distant mountains behind them. Walter Ufer responded not only to the colors, light, and patterns of the luminous landscape seen through the gridded window, but also to the dynamic arts and crafts made by both Mexican American and Native American residents of the region. These include the colorful textiles worn by the sisters, the shallow rush basket held by Luzanna, and the large ceramic wedding jar from the Santa Clara Pueblo placed on the windowsill. This picture was acquired in 1931, a time when a painting by an artist associated with the Taos Art Colony of New Mexico would have been an unusual choice for a public art museum on the East Coast.