Romando Vigil

Romando Vigil (January23, 19021978), also known as Tse Ye Mu, was a Native American self-taught painter and a leader in the San Ildefonso school. He briefly worked for Walt Disney Studios as a painter and illustrator in the 1950s.

He is known for his strong use of simple defining lines to outline his dancing figures and animals. Vigil mostly painted in watercolor, and gouache, and tempera. His paintings depict ceremonial dances and everyday life. Occasionally, he also created abstract and geometric scenes with symbolic iconography, as well as women making pottery. Vigil's works are in the collections of many institutions, including the National Museum of the American Indian and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C.

Early life and education Romando Vigil was born in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, on 23 January 1902 on the pueblo's Feast Day. Vigil's Tewa name Tse-Ye-Mu translates as Falling Water or Falling Cloud. He was the cousin of painter Tonita Peña. His family on both his maternal and paternal sides were potters, and he married into the Martinez family who were renowned San Ildefonso potters. His early painting career began around 1918 when he began painting Pueblo ceremonial dances and figures in his signature stylized manner. His early career is also characterized by his precise coloring on paper. Gilcrease Museum, National Museum of the American Indian, Brandeis University's Special Collections, and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University.

Outside of museum and gallery collections, some of his works reside at the La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the Indian School in Santa Fe, and in private collections.

Personal life He was the husband of potter Juanita Montoya Vigil (1898–1933), who was the youngest sister of renowned potter, Maria Martinez (1887–1980).