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Repose will be included in the E. I. Couse Catalogue Raisonné.

Virginia Couse Leavitt writes, “Indian flute players appear in many Couse paintings, most often in the context of courtship. The horizontal composition of Repose showing an Indian from Taos Pueblo stretched out on a river bank communing with nature, is unique.

“In the main body of this painting he has created an interesting composition based on three horizontal bands. At top and bottom are two dark bands, represented at the top by trees and at the bottom by a rock. In between these, a third band is represented by the flute player who stretches out bathed in light. This horizontal banding reinforces the theme of Repose. Couse added interest to this composition, however, by including two separate bands of color on the right representing a sliver of river and distant hills bathed in sunlight.

“Painting the qualities of light was a lifelong interest of Couse. This painting represents yet another example of how he explored this interest.”

PROVENANCE
Couse Estate, New Mexico
C. W. Edwards Ltd., Seattle, Washington, 1982
Private collection, Chicago, Illinois
John Pence Gallery, San Francisco, California, 1987
The Buck Collection, Laguna Niguel, California
The Leis Collection, Pacific Palisades, California
John and Toni Bloomberg, La Jolla, California

EXHIBITED
Couse Retrospective, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, Texas, 1967
Desert Southwest Art Gallery, Palm Desert, California, 1968
Visions of the West: Highlights from the Bloomberg Collection, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California, 2020-21

Condition ReportSurface condition very good. Canvas is lined. Faint hairline cracks in trees above Indian. Small spot of inpainting in water in lower-right corner.

Important Notice: Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders; such statements are educated opinions and should not be regarded as facts. The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has no responsibility for any errors or omissions.