Regional Paintings

Our collection at the Fine Arts Center includes artworks by diverse artists across time. This selection of paintings presents the work of artists that have worked in the region spanning from Denver to Taos. While paintings are more typically thought of as two-dimensional framed objects, we recognize that painting traditions often expand beyond this definition. Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho people, for example, painted hides for decorative and ceremonial purposes. As other peoples moved to the region, including Kiowa, Spanish, Mexicans, and Americans, painting changed in method and content. The Hispano community of New Mexico and southern Colorado created a rich tradition of religious art in the form of santos, devotional representations of Christian saints. In the early twentieth century, as Americans began to develop cities in the West, artists flocked to areas like Colorado Springs, Denver, Taos, and Santa Fe. They created important art groups such as the Taos Society of Artists and the Broadmoor Art Academy, our own founding institution. These institutions, while disbanded, continue to affect our artistic landscape today. Our contemporary artists take many cues from our regional past, while continually infusing their work with their own contemporary identity.

This broad look at our region both in space and time allows for deeper understanding of the exchange of artistic influence that has occurred here. We invite you to explore this group of artworks to find those connections for yourself.