Winter’s Child

Winter’s Child (1991) presents an intimate maternal portrait of a Navajo woman cradling an infant wrapped in pristine white swaddling cloth. The mother’s face radiates tenderness as she gazes down at her child, her own form enveloped in a flowing turquoise-blue blanket that dominates the composition. The surrounding environment is rendered in soft, cloud-like forms in pale mauve and blue, creating a dreamlike protective space around the pair. R.C. Gorman’s color transitions from warm peachy tones around the figures to cool blues and purples establish an atmosphere of sanctuary and timelessness. The work captures the profound vulnerability and fierce protectiveness of motherhood. Essential for collectors of Navajo maternal imagery, contemporary Native American family portraits, and Gorman’s most emotionally resonant figurative works.