Paul Pletka (American, b. 1946) Los Fariseos, 1996 Acrylic on canvas 60 x 60 inches (152.4 x 152.4 cm) Signed lower left: Pletka PROVENANCE: Riva Yares Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona; Private collection, Phoenix, Arizona; Heritage Auctions, May 3, 2019, lot 68034; Acquired by present owner from the above. EXHIBITED: Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, Missouri, "Paul Pletka: Native Images," 2003. LITERATURE: Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, Missouri, Paul Pletka: Native Images, exhibition catalogue, 2003, illustrated. Note: This important work is accompanied by the artist's pencil sketch. The artist has done several smaller and single Tarahumara Los Fariseos paintings. Born in San Diego in 1946 and raised in the American Southwest, Paul Pletka developed an artistic practice centered on the representation of Indigenous peoples and religious experience. His studies at Arizona State University, Mesa College, and Colorado State University fostered an interest in printmaking that would inform his approach to acrylic painting. Grounded in meticulous draftsmanship and sustained research, his work combines precise descriptions of anatomy, clothing, and ceremonial objects with compositions that suggest a reality beyond ordinary perception. Los Fariseos, 1996, is a monumental painting depicting three Tarahumara, or Rarámuri, ceremonial participants. The figures dominate the canvas, their overlapping bodies and large circular drums forming a tightly organized composition that emphasizes form and color. White markings extend across faces, torsos, and arms, creating a rhythmic pattern that echoes, on an enlarged scale, the delicate texture of the background. Brilliant red headbands, flags, and patterned textiles punctuate the restrained gray setting. The repetition of patterns throughout the composition suggests an affinity with Pletka's early interest in printmaking, particularly its emphasis on defined contours, flattened forms, and surface design. Here, he transforms observed detail into a carefully constructed pictorial language. Bodily markings, textiles, feathers, and drums retain their material specificity while contributing to a unified formal structure. Through this integration of detail and design, Pletka conveys the communal significance of ceremony within a formally unified composition. Exhibited at the Springfield Art Museum in Paul Pletka: Native Images, Los Fariseos is accompanied by the artist's pencil sketch, offering an opportunity to examine the relationship between preparatory drawing and finished canvas. Together, these works illuminate the disciplined process underlying Pletka's compositions and his sustained engagement with ceremonial life. HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, Missouri, "Paul Pletka: Native Images," 2003. Note: This important work is accompanied by the artist's pencil sketch. The artist has done several smaller and single Tarahumara Los Fariseos paintings.

Riva Yares Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona; Private collection, Phoenix, Arizona; Heritage Auctions, May 3, 2019, lot 68034; Acquired by present owner from the above.

Unlined canvas; there appears to be no major visible condition issues to note.