Coeur d'Alene Art Auction - July 2021

– 186 – 235 Paul Pletka (b. 1946) Crow Indian (1975) acrylic on canvas 48 × 60 inches signed lower left: Pletka Describing this painting Edna Gundersen wrote, “Historians reason that the Crows survived as a tribe because they cooperated with the government during the IndianWars of the late nineteenth century. A few wise men among them realized there was no use fighting the overwhelming tide of Anglo humanity. Along with some Shoshones, they were enlisted as scouts, thereby managing to keep small portions of their homeland without being moved about too much; the Crow reservation is still located inMontana. The Crow Indian in this painting displays a potpourri of war emblems, including a warrior narrative drawn across his old robe adorned with pony beads. The American flag painted on his face is Pletka’s indication he is a scout. The gear on his head includes a horned medicine bonnet. A war whistle is affixed to the crow on his robe.” LITERATURE Paul Pletka, Pletka , Northland Press, 1983, p. 60-61, illustrated $30,000–50,000