The Enigmatic Painter
Paul Burlin 1886-1969

By Rebekah Powers | April 2023

Each painter, sculptor or weaver adds a piece to the puzzle of Southwestern History. Some artists give their entire lives to a place, others chart an indirect course with various stops along the way. Such was the life and art of Paul Burlin who made an important contribution to art history.

The artist was born in New York, attended the Art Student’s League and the National Academy of Art. He died in New York in 1969, but in between he enjoyed exploring and absorbing the cultures of Europe, England and America. Of all the exotic chapters of his life, it is said that it was the time that he spent in New Mexico that he treasured and would become a dream come true.

Chimayo Trading is particularly interested in historically relevant artists whose work has become part of the lexicon of the Southwest. The painting “1910 in Santa Fe, NM” by Paul Burlin represents the trek required to journey between Taos and Santa Fe at the beginning of the 20th century. Looking at this painting, one can imagine the courage it would have required to venture along the rim of the canyons and through vast distances on horseback.

The painting is characteristic of the impressionist, expressive style of Burlin that would eventually reflect Cubist and Fauvist features. Many credit Burlin as being the first modernist artist in New Mexico. This painting was painted on his initial journey to Santa Fe and exhibited in a New York show that garnered Paul Burlin critical acclaim and an invitation to participate in the infamous Armory Show, the first Modernist exhibition in the United States. Burlin was the youngest artist to show in such company.

He moved to Santa Fe in 1913 and stayed until 1920. The spirituality of Native Americans affected him deeply, and he painted portraits and landscapes with great respect for the land and the culture of native people. Burlin was destined to meet Natalie Curtis, an ethnomusicologist who was working to preserve Native American music in New Mexico and they formed an undeniable bond. They married in 1914 and spent some idyllic years in Santa Fe before taking a trip to Paris, France where Natalie presented at an ethnomusicological conference. Unfortunately, she was struck by a taxi and killed on the street in Paris, devastating Paul.

He would eventually remarry and have a daughter, expand his art career in new and exciting ways and live out a creative life until his death. But it would be that interval in Northern New Mexico that would remain the most exciting time of exploration and discovery. Chimayo Trading is now showing “1910 in Santa Fe, NM” by Paul Burlin, one of the earliest professional artists to respond to the real American southwest. Enjoy the view today in our expanded gallery in Ranchos de Taos.

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Come to the gallery to see where History Meets Art in Taos..

#1 Saint Francis Church Plaza
Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557

575.758.0504

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Contact us directly to discuss and evaluate your collection. If you’re an artist, contact us about the possibility of selling your art on consignment or direct wholesale purchase.

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