Lazuli

“Lazuli,” a 1976 oil pastel by R.C. Gorman, portrays a seated Navajo woman enveloped in a sweeping white shawl accented with loose blue-turquoise contour lines, her warm umber skin glowing against the clean white ground. She cradles a tiny dark-haired infant close to her chest with both hands, her face serene and protective as she gazes gently downward. Gorman’s signature gestural pastel strokes give the white fabric a luminous, almost airborne quality, while the tenderness of the maternal pose anchors the composition in quiet intimacy. The spare background keeps all attention on the bond between mother and child, a recurring theme that defined Gorman’s legacy as one of the most celebrated Native American figurative artists of the twentieth century. An exceptional acquisition for collectors of Gorman oil pastels, Southwest fine art, and Native American figurative works.