Oscar E. Berninghaus (American, 1874–1952)
Following The Wagons (Indians at Sunset), c. 1925
Oil on canvas, 22 H. x 28 W. inches
Signed lower left: O. E. Berninghaus
Born in 1874 in St. Louis, Missouri, Oscar Berninghaus is known for his Southwestern landscapes featuring animals and figures in contemporary garb. His work is distinguished by his quick brush strokes and an extremely accurate memory. He depicted Native Americans in a realistic way, in their daily lives.
He began his career in art as a lithographer in his family’s business in 1890. Berninghaus attended night classes in the Art department of Washington University in St Louis. He later began to visit Taos, New Mexico regularly for his summers after an influential first visit on an illustration assignment. He was a sketch artist for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.
Berninghaus was one of the six founders of the Taos Society of Artists in 1915, an expanding group of influential figures who found inspiration in the Southwest, portraying a purely American region and culture. They would become widely renowned as: The Taos School.
In 1919 he bought a house in Taos and in 1925 he settled there permanently. He continued to paint in Taos until his death, where he painted from life and nature. However, his great memory also allowed him to paint from remembered images. He died in 1952 after a heart attack.