Unearthing Indigenous Artistry – Nocona Burgess
On this episode of Beyond the Art, we meet Nocona Burgess a Comanche Nation citizen who presents strikingly modern depictions of Indigenous men and women from various tribal Nations of North America. His paintings mix careful research, firsthand knowledge, and raw passion. By combining brightly colored shapes with crisply outlined facial features and traditional dress, Burgess explores the cultural context, life story, and identity of each sitter. In this way, the artist urges us to update our perceptions of Native people and consider the intriguing and often highly politicized place of Native American portraiture.
Painting for Burgess is a way of reaching out to others. He strives for an intimate connection with each subject, eager to know their characters. Through his paintings, Burgess says thank you to his ancestors for their sacrifices in helping to make the contemporary Native identity what it is today.