Procession to the Cross of the Martyrs
Date1930
Artist
John Sloan
(American painter, etcher, and illustrator, 1871–1951)
MediumGum arabic tempera underpaint; oil varnish glaze on panel
Dimensions24 × 32 in. (61 × 81.3 cm)
frame: 33 x 41 x 2 1/2 in. (83.8 x 104.1 x 6.4 cm)
frame: 33 x 41 x 2 1/2 in. (83.8 x 104.1 x 6.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of the John Sloan Memorial Foundation, 1997
Object number1997-48
On View
On viewCollections
ClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextThis painting records a key event in the annual Santa Fe Fiesta. Following a service at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, much of the city’s population makes a candlelit walk to the Cross of the Martyrs, erected in honor of Franciscan friars who died during the Pueblo Revolt. Throughout its history, Fiesta has been criticized as a celebration of colonial oppression, but for some, the event symbolizes the coexistence of Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo-American traditions in the region. Recently, Pueblo groups successfully lobbied for changes in the Fiesta program, including an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration.
