Merle Locke (Oglala Lakota/South Dakota, 20th c.), "Any Given Moment Any Given Direction with Those Dragonflies", mixed media on antique ledger, signed lower right, titled lower left, 11 3/8 in. x 17 5/8 in., unframed. Condition: Overall fair condition. Note: Merle Locke is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe and grew up in the Pine Ridge Reservation in the southwestern part of South Dakota. He uses traditional imagery to tell the tale of his ancestors and continue the storytelling customs of his community. He typically works in Ledger Art, which emerged in the 1860s in the Great Plains region. Originally, painted buffalo hides were the preferred media, but as more occupiers settled into the surrounding territories, they brought ledger books filled with paper. These books became the popular vehicle of communal drawing with each one containing the shared works of several different artists and authors. The drawings often featured images from battle exploits and daily minutia within the tribe.Locke’s body of work builds on the traditions of Ledger Art, and in the work offered here, Locke overlays an image of a warrior galloping on a horse on a piece of antique ledger paper. Surrounding him are two dragonflies whose skewed scale lend a mystical quality to the composition. For Locke, dragonflies signify hope and prosperity. “Historically, when warriors went into battle they were surrounded by dragonflies. The warriors would try to move like the dragonfly, so that they would be impossible to shoot.” Ref.: “Merle Locke, Oglala Lakota Artist.” Seven Council Fires Native Art. www.severfiresart.com. Accessed Jan. 30, 2023.

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