Artful Insight – Walter Ufer

Walter Ufer made his first trip to Taos at the end of the summer of 1914. In Taos, Ufer abandoned his studio painting methods in favor of working outdoors in direct sunlight. Ufer studied and worked in Europe and the US and was a notable portrait painter. But his work in Taos, painting the Indigenous people and brilliant landscapes, brought him critical acclaim and financial success. In 1915, Ufer became one of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists. In 1920, he became the first Taos artist to win a prize at the Carnegie International. The Taos Society of Artists officially disbanded in 1927, which profoundly impacted the careers of Ufer and other members. This exacerbated Ufer’s lifelong struggles with insecurity, depression, and, alcoholism.