Figure for Sun: Study for The Legend of Earth and Sun Mural

The Legend of Earth and Sun mural was commissioned by Arthur Chase McArthur, architect of the Arizona Biltmore hotel and student of Frank Lloyd Wright. In late 1928 McArthur asked Maynard Dixon to submit designs for a mural to be installed in the hotel's dining room. Dixon worked on the preliminary drawings on his way to Phoenix, completing the studies in his hotel room, which were approved by McArthur upon his arrival. For the composition, Dixon drew from his extensive knowledge of Hopi mythology, creating two heroic figures that dominate the mural. One is Mother Earth, who wears the head tablet of a Hopi corn maiden; the other is Father Sun, which the present study represents, adapted from a Hopi Sun Katchina, representing light and warmth. Measuring 8x25 feet, Dixon considered The Legend of Earth and Sun to be one of his most successful murals.


This drawing will be included in Donald J. Hagerty's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's works.