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| Nicolai Fechin was a
Russian/American painter best known for his portraits and paintings
of the Southwest. Fechin was born in Kazan, Russia, and studied at
the Kazan School of Fine Arts and the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts,
St. Petersburg. After having won the prestigious Prix de Rome award,
a traveling scholarship that allowed him to visit the artistic capitals
of Europe for one year, he returned to a teaching position at Kazan,
where he remained for ten years. When the Bolshevik Revolution came,
Fechin, his wife, and daughter obtained passage to the United States
and initially settled in New York. Because of bad health Fechin moved
his family to Taos, New Mexico, in 1927. In Taos, Fechin was intrigued by the Pueblo Indians and Mexican-Americans he encountered. Their colorful costumes and dignified manners reminded him of peasants in his native Russia. In this portrait, Manuelita holds a traditional Kachina doll, given to children of Hopi and Zuni tribes as aides in teaching tribal culture. Manuelita modeled for Fechin as well as for other well-known Taos artists.  (For Grades 3-5) What is Manuelita holding in her hand? What is a Kachina doll? Does this artwork look real or abstract? Why? Why do you think the artist painted this portrait? Where do you think the artist painted this portrait? |
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Nicolai Fechin Russia, 1881-1955 Manuelita With Kachina Oil on canvas, 1932 Bequest of Mrs. Henry A. Everett 1938:25 © San Diego Museum of Art |
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