Zhiwei Tu's Native American Portraits

"Ghost Dancer"

There's a new section up on the Tu Zhiwei Art Gallery web site. It's called "Native American Portraits."

These particular paintings, we understand, currently are being shown at the Nichols Gallery in Taos. They're part of a larger, ongoing series Mr. Tu has been doing, inspired by his first encounter with Sioux Indians when he vacationed in South Dakota shortly after emigrating to the United States and his later investigations of other tribes in the Western states.

All of the portraits are stunning, especially when viewed in person. Our personal favorite, though, is shown above -- "Ghost Dancer." It captures perfectly the slightly crazed, obsessed, and yet euphoric sentiment one can easily imagine in the hearts of many desperate Native Americans who joined this religious revival movement in the late 19th century as the white man overwhelmed their way of life.