Dennis Cusick
Encyclopedia
Dennis Cusick was a Tuscarora
painter from New York
and one of the founders of the Iroquois Realist Style of painting.
veteran who had fought with the Indian Rangers. The family lived in Oneida County, New York
, but moved to Niagara County, New York
, when Nicholas was hired to be an interpreter and assistant to the local missions to the Tuscarora. A missionary Elkanah Holmes wrote that Nicholas promised "to collect materials for making up an account of the present state of the Indians, as well as for a history of the ancient tribes inhabiting the state."
This interest in documenting the lifeways and history of area tribes must have influenced his sons, particularly Dennis' older brother, David Cusick
, who wrote and illustrated Sketches of Ancient History of the Six Nations in 1828.
In January 1818, Dennis joined the Tuscarora Congregational Church
in January 1818. He painted two watercolors to decorate collection boxes for the church. The Congregationalist mission supported a school on the Seneca
Reservation at Buffalo Creek
, New York.
Dennis died at the age of twenty-four.
, which appears in his paintings.
Two almost identical watercolor paintings were painted by Dennis to adorn collection boxes. "Seneca School House" is dated July 3, 1821, and "Seneca Mission House" is dated April 16, 1822. They both feature the two-storey, log schoolhouse, both with a pitched roof, smoking chimney, and bell tower. To the left is a crowd of traditionally dressed Tuscarora warriors and boys. Tall trees flank the sides of the paintings and birds fly overhead. The later painting is precisely composed and more orderly overall.
A pair of 1821 watercolors features schoolchildren in class. "Seneca School House. July 16th, 1821" portrays James Young teaching a crowd of Tuscarora boys. Books, desks, and windows dot the room. Dennis' flair for calligraphy in almost uncanny in its precision, as showcased in Biblical quotes, examples of script on a chalkboard, and minute vocabulary lessons in three languages, pinned on the walls. The gustoweh headdresses that adorn the older boys' heads indicate a continued Iroquois identity.
"Seneca Mission House, Nov. 15, 1821" features girls studying in Mrs. James Young's class. Quotes about the nature of work hover over a scene of Tuscarora girls, busy as a variety of spinning wheels, overseen by an elaborately coiffed Mrs. Young at the paintings' left.
Two of Dennis' other paintings survive. Dated March 4, 1822, "Evening Psalm" is a watercolor on paper, signed by the artist. The painting features two Tuscarora warriors – one standing with a bow, the other seated with two firearms – and a Tuscarora woman with a baby resting on her shoulder, tucked inside her robe. The three are flanked by loose, painterly foliage, and a dense tree, in which Dennis scraped the paint away to produce highlights. The background is filled with undulating blue hills, lined with evergreen trees. The narrow slice of sky is filled with a variety of cloud formations, and a minute sun tucked in the far left corner. Details of the figures' faces are minimal. Dennis relies on outlining to define shapes and cross-hatching to provide shadows and mass. Above the scene, the artist wrote a psalm in Seneca
and English.
The last painting, "Christening of the Tuscarora Asa Thompson," is unsigned but dated 1821. Attribution is based on style and documentation that accompanied the painting. The watercolor painting features a Tuscarora woman handing her baby to an Iroquois man, wearing a fingerwoven
sash, leggings, and moccasins. To his right in the minister, holding a Bible and extending his right hand. Both men have top hats. The background foliage is even more whimsical than that of "Evening Psalm." Swaying trees cover rolling hills around the edges of the scene, but the center of the painting has large unpainted, negative space, providing contrast the figures.
, Thomas Jacobs (either a Tuscarora or Seneca), and anonymous artists of the Cattaraugus Seneca and Oneida
tribes. They are known today only by twenty-five surviving paintings. Their work was a departure from previous Iroquois art forms and paved the way for Native Americans to use new materials from the global community to express their contemporary realities. Jesse Cornplanter
(Seneca) carried on the realist tradition in the early 20th century.
Tuscarora (tribe)
The Tuscarora are a Native American people of the Iroquoian-language family, with members in New York, Canada, and North Carolina...
painter from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and one of the founders of the Iroquois Realist Style of painting.
Biography
Dennis Cusick was born circa 1800 to the Tuscarora tribe, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. His father was Nicholas Cusick (1758–1840), a Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
veteran who had fought with the Indian Rangers. The family lived in Oneida County, New York
Oneida County, New York
Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....
, but moved to Niagara County, New York
Niagara County, New York
Niagara County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,469. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word Onguiaahra; meaning the strait or thunder of waters. It is the location of Niagara Falls and Fort Niagara, and...
, when Nicholas was hired to be an interpreter and assistant to the local missions to the Tuscarora. A missionary Elkanah Holmes wrote that Nicholas promised "to collect materials for making up an account of the present state of the Indians, as well as for a history of the ancient tribes inhabiting the state."
This interest in documenting the lifeways and history of area tribes must have influenced his sons, particularly Dennis' older brother, David Cusick
David Cusick
David Cusick was Tuscarora artist and the author of David Cusick’s Sketches of Ancient History of the Six Nations . This is an early account of Native American history and myth, written and published in English by an Indian.-Biography:David Cusick was born around 1780, probably on the Oneida...
, who wrote and illustrated Sketches of Ancient History of the Six Nations in 1828.
In January 1818, Dennis joined the Tuscarora Congregational Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
in January 1818. He painted two watercolors to decorate collection boxes for the church. The Congregationalist mission supported a school on the Seneca
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
Reservation at Buffalo Creek
Buffalo River (New York)
The Buffalo River is a river that empties into the eastern end of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, by the City of Buffalo in the United States of America. This stream is called the Buffalo River only in the vicinity of the city and is known as Buffalo Creek as it flows through other parts of...
, New York.
Dennis died at the age of twenty-four.
Artwork
James Young, a teacher at the Buffalo Creek school, wrote about Dennis, "in acquiring the arts he has had no instruction except what he has received from copying." Dennis was praised by another teacher, who said he "could draw well, and made his own colors from native woods." He was also praised for his skill in calligraphyCalligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
, which appears in his paintings.
Two almost identical watercolor paintings were painted by Dennis to adorn collection boxes. "Seneca School House" is dated July 3, 1821, and "Seneca Mission House" is dated April 16, 1822. They both feature the two-storey, log schoolhouse, both with a pitched roof, smoking chimney, and bell tower. To the left is a crowd of traditionally dressed Tuscarora warriors and boys. Tall trees flank the sides of the paintings and birds fly overhead. The later painting is precisely composed and more orderly overall.
A pair of 1821 watercolors features schoolchildren in class. "Seneca School House. July 16th, 1821" portrays James Young teaching a crowd of Tuscarora boys. Books, desks, and windows dot the room. Dennis' flair for calligraphy in almost uncanny in its precision, as showcased in Biblical quotes, examples of script on a chalkboard, and minute vocabulary lessons in three languages, pinned on the walls. The gustoweh headdresses that adorn the older boys' heads indicate a continued Iroquois identity.
"Seneca Mission House, Nov. 15, 1821" features girls studying in Mrs. James Young's class. Quotes about the nature of work hover over a scene of Tuscarora girls, busy as a variety of spinning wheels, overseen by an elaborately coiffed Mrs. Young at the paintings' left.
Two of Dennis' other paintings survive. Dated March 4, 1822, "Evening Psalm" is a watercolor on paper, signed by the artist. The painting features two Tuscarora warriors – one standing with a bow, the other seated with two firearms – and a Tuscarora woman with a baby resting on her shoulder, tucked inside her robe. The three are flanked by loose, painterly foliage, and a dense tree, in which Dennis scraped the paint away to produce highlights. The background is filled with undulating blue hills, lined with evergreen trees. The narrow slice of sky is filled with a variety of cloud formations, and a minute sun tucked in the far left corner. Details of the figures' faces are minimal. Dennis relies on outlining to define shapes and cross-hatching to provide shadows and mass. Above the scene, the artist wrote a psalm in Seneca
Seneca language
Seneca is the language of the Seneca people, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League. About 10,000 Seneca live in the United States and Canada, primarily on reservations in western New York, with others living in Oklahoma and near Brantford, Ontario.-Phonology:Seneca words are written with...
and English.
The last painting, "Christening of the Tuscarora Asa Thompson," is unsigned but dated 1821. Attribution is based on style and documentation that accompanied the painting. The watercolor painting features a Tuscarora woman handing her baby to an Iroquois man, wearing a fingerwoven
Fingerweaving
Fingerweaving is a Native American art form used mostly to create belts, sashes, straps, and other similar items through a non-loom weaving process...
sash, leggings, and moccasins. To his right in the minister, holding a Bible and extending his right hand. Both men have top hats. The background foliage is even more whimsical than that of "Evening Psalm." Swaying trees cover rolling hills around the edges of the scene, but the center of the painting has large unpainted, negative space, providing contrast the figures.
Legacy
Dennis was one of the Early Iroquois Realists, who included at least five other painters, David CusickDavid Cusick
David Cusick was Tuscarora artist and the author of David Cusick’s Sketches of Ancient History of the Six Nations . This is an early account of Native American history and myth, written and published in English by an Indian.-Biography:David Cusick was born around 1780, probably on the Oneida...
, Thomas Jacobs (either a Tuscarora or Seneca), and anonymous artists of the Cattaraugus Seneca and Oneida
Oneida tribe
The Oneida are a Native American/First Nations people and are one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the area of upstate New York...
tribes. They are known today only by twenty-five surviving paintings. Their work was a departure from previous Iroquois art forms and paved the way for Native Americans to use new materials from the global community to express their contemporary realities. Jesse Cornplanter
Jesse Cornplanter
Jesse J. Cornplanter was a Seneca artist and author. His Seneca name was Hayonhwonhish. As an author he wrote Legends of the Longhouse, which records many Iroquois traditional stories.-Personal:...
(Seneca) carried on the realist tradition in the early 20th century.