Fritz Scholder was born in Breckenridge, Minnesota. He was the fifth consecutive male of his family to bear this name. Scholder did not consider himself an Indian, he was regarded by many as a leader of the New American Indian Art movement. Throughout his childhood, his family moved frequently, living mostly in small towns in the Dakotas and Wisconsin. During the long winter evenings, young Fritz amused himself by drawing, an interest that was soon channeled into serious art study. The painter Oscar Howe, a Sioux Indian, introduced him to modern art while he was still in high school. In 1957, Fritz's family settled in Sacramento, where Scholder earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Sacramento State University. At Sacramento, the painter Wayne Thiebaud exposed Scholder to the Pop Art movement. Thiebaud also arranged Scholder's first solo exhibition. Early in his career, he received support from the Rockefeller, Whitney and Ford Foundations. He added sculpture and printmaking to his activities, creating mixed media constructions, bronzes, lithographs, etchings and monotypes. He created works in series: women, landscapes, Indians, butterflies, cats, dogs, dreams, the Empire State Building, ancient Egypt. This Aquatint Etching was created in 1975 and is number 19 of 75. Fritz has signed the piece directly below the etching. The frame measures 41" by 34" and the etching measures 22" by 30".
