Photographer: Calvin J. Hamilton Copyright: © 2007 Calvin J. Hamilton Date Added: 2007/10/22 Location: Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico

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• Bandelier National Monument

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Helmuth Naumer (1907 - 1990) was hired in 1935 and 1936 to capture the beauty of Bandelier National Monument and the lifestyles of the nearby pueblos. Born in Germany, Naumer moved to America in 1926 pursuing his romantic image of the American West. Following an education in art and a stint in the Merchant Marines, Naumer settled near Santa Fe. A grant from the WPA allowed Naumer to produce fourteen pastel artworks for the monument. Pastels were Naumer's preferred medium. He felt pastels permitted him to capture "the fleeting effects of the sky and water and our own New Mexico landscapes with the fast changing colors sweeping rapidly across it, for there are hundreds of different colors and shades, so one loses no time in mixing colors as in oil". Naumer's love of the western mystique continued through his life, as did his love of painting.