American Studies at SJP: Oscar Berninghaus

OSCAR BERNINGHAUS

Oscar was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1874. His father ran a lithography business which gave Oscar an interest in water painting. In 1915 Oscar was a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists along with Bert Philips another artist. In 1924, Berninghaus received his first formal accolade for his Taos Indian based fine art. He continued to live in St. Louis until 1925, when he finally moved to Taos. Oscar was most known for his paintings and murals of Native Americans, New Mexico, and American Southwest. Oscar eventually died on April 27th 1952 in Taos, New Mexico at the age of 77.

Oscar often painted of Native Americans, Native Americans in and around the Taos area, New Mexico scenery, and The American Southwest. Oscar Berninghaus is respectful of Native American culture. Most of his work was not describing the war or the conflict between Native Americans and the United States. White men are not even included in his paintings.

As far as I am concerned, Oscar Berninghaus' attitude toward Native Americans and their way might be not only be respect, but admiration. For almost every picture, Oscar was trying to paint how Native Americans survived through setbacks they have suffered and finally gained the fruits or the ends they wanted. In his eyes, Oscar Berninghaus might consider and admire Native Americans as also a part of rugged individualists, which in a certain way and in his own way, weighed and respect them as people who are equal to white men.