The Turkey Hunter

As a founder in 1912 of the Taos Society of Artists, Eanger Irving Couse is best remembered for his intimate depictions of Southwest Indians. He spent every summer in Taos, New Mexico from 1902 until 1927, when he became a permanent resident, and through these years established close relationships with the local Indians who modeled for his paintings such as Ben Lujan, who began modeling for the artist at just 10 years old and posed for the present work. In The Turkey Hunter, Couse portrays a traditional hunting role in his distinct painting style and sympathetic perspective. Laura Bickerstaff writes, "More than in any other aspect except color, Couse was interested in the authenticity of the Indian he was to paint. The more tenaciously they clung to the customs of their forebears, the more genuine they, and therefore the pictures of them, would be." (Pioneer Artists of Taos, Denver, Colorado, 1983, p. 80)