HAROLD "BUCK" WEAVER

TECHNIQUE

Regrettably at the present time we do not know how many canvases Buck Weaver painted in his lifetime, so far this website documents all the work which is known to date. It appears, to date, there has not been any posthumous exhibitions and mention of his name in printed word is sparse; the excellent biography of Maynard Dixon by Donald J. Hagerty only refers to Buck briefly at two points. From the letters he wrote to his sister there are long periods when he was not painting due to his heart condition in later life and nowadays canvases seldom come on to the market.

Numerous newspaper articles refer to Buck as being as near to a disciple to Maynard Dixon as anyone, upon closer reflection whilst Dixon's oeuvre covers not only landscapes, but also portraits and both Indian and cowboy scenes, Buck appears to restrict himself to landscapes. However the sheer grandeur he is able to achieve with subtle lighting effects and the horizon set low in the painting is indicative of Dixon's later work.

Whilst Dixon work encompasses all types of media, Oil, Pastel, Gouache and Pen and Ink, Buck's known oeuvre restricts itself to Oil on canvas. Preparatory oil sketches appear to feature but none are known to have survived or even been exhibited. Canvases were painted over a long period and the paint used sparingly leaving a flat but luminescent surface, for later work, he also designed, made and gilded frames, not only for his own work but also for Maynard Dixon.

The two works I have had the benefit of closer inspection, one painted at the beginning of his career (1919) and one at the peak of his career (1947), show he remained careful in dating work and keeping his trademark signature: an inverted swastika interlaid with his name and date, often dotting the middle of the symbol with a complementary colour. The origins of this symbol are diverse but it does appear within Hopi Indian culture. It is effectively a symbol of the Hopi emergence into the current world, showing the directions taken by the various tribes in their wanderings: the right-hand version signifies "life" or the Sun.

A CLOSER LOOK

 On this site two works can be inspected with the benefit of close-up photography: The Drifter and Pueblo Scene

Drifter: Up Close

  Pueblo Scene: Up Close

You will be able to access the close-up areas by scanning the reproduction with your mouse and then clicking.

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