MaynardDixon.com
Title
Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts - Preserving the Spirit, Legacy and Artwork of Maynard Dixon
Description
There has been a resurgence of interest this year in Maynard Dixon’s life and works. A retrospective exhibition of his art as well as educational tours of “Maynard Dixon Country” have introduced a wider public to this essential Western artist. Why does Maynard Dixon’s fame continue to spread over half a century after his death?
Almost everyone recognizes his superb artistic skill and honest vision. Some credit his deep understanding of the West. But maybe more than anything else, it is his uniquely modern style, one that gave the West a new language of expression that makes Maynard Dixon’s work so exciting.
Dixon was born to a ranching family in 1875 in Fresno, California. Much has been spoken and written about his early years – his sending of early drawings to Frederic Remington (with encouragement received in reply) and his introduction to academic training under Arthur Mathews at the California School of Design in San Francisco. Suffice to say he had tremendous natural artistic talent and decided at an early age to become an illustrator of the Old West.
