Ernest Martin Hennings (American, 1886-1956) Max Baca, circa 1936 Oil on canvas laid on board 14 x 14 inches (35.6 x 35.6 cm) Signed lower right: E.M. Hennings PROVENANCE: The artist; Pete Simmons, Colorado, commissioned from the above; Barbara Simmons Bayless, Colorado, gift of the above; By descent to the present owner, Roseville, California. Born in 1886, Ernest Martin Hennings studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Royal Academy in Munich before first visiting Taos in 1917. The people and landscape of northern New Mexico gave lasting direction to his work, prompting his permanent settlement there in 1921. His paintings combine the discipline of academic training with a sensitivity to Southwestern light, color, and pattern, bringing carefully observed figures and their surroundings into compositional harmony. Elected to the Taos Society of Artists in 1924, Hennings contributed to its national reputation through paintings that united accomplished figure studies with a sophisticated approach to landscape. Founded in 1915, the Society organized traveling exhibitions that introduced audiences across the country to the region's people and scenery. Hennings's distinctive contribution lay in his integration of human presence and natural forms, using rhythmic contours and decorative arrangements to reconcile representational detail with an emphasis on pictorial design. His participation in the Society's exhibitions, together with his individual exhibition successes, helped establish Taos as an important center of American painting. Max Baca, circa 1936, brings these defining qualities to a commissioned portrait of a longtime ranch foreman. Remaining in the family since its creation, the painting preserves an individual likeness and a connection to the history of the Wells Ranch near Matheson, Colorado. The family identifies the sitter through his decades of employment and the childhood recollections of Barbara Simmons, whose memoir offers a personal account of the man Hennings portrayed. Hennings was commissioned to paint two ranch workers, Max Baca and Damian Mondragon. Both came from the Taos area and could arrange sittings during visits home from the ranch. Baca succeeded Mondragon as foreman, working first for William Wells and subsequently for the Simmons family. His association with the ranch extended approximately fifty years. His sons, Jacobo and Tranquilino Baca, and his son-in-law also worked there, forming an extended family network essential to its operations. Responsible for the ranch's sheep, Baca provided expertise and continuity to an enterprise that passed through generations. The portrait exemplifies Hennings's ability to make landscape integral to the representation of character. The grazing sheep identify Baca's occupation, while the pasture, mountains, and sky place him within a pastoral setting that alludes to his working life. These elements contribute to the portrait's meaning, presenting the sitter through his relationship to the animals and land under his care. The portrait reflects the close relationship between people and their surroundings that defines Hennings's signature style. Baca's steady gaze conveys a quiet dignity and intensity that commands attention. Barbara Simmons remembered both commissioned portraits as convincing likenesses, noting that Hennings had captured the familiar twinkle in Baca's eye. His head and shoulders dominate the foreground, his tall brown hat extending beyond the upper edge, and his dark coat anchoring the lower corners. His pale blue shirt echoes the distant mountains, linking figure and atmosphere through color. Behind him, the sheep create a measured rhythm across the green pasture, achieving a unified balance between sitter and setting in the compositional design. Max Baca, circa 1936, demonstrates Hennings's ability to unite accomplished figure painting with the integration of sitter and landscape that distinguishes his work. Preserved within the family since its creation, the portrait brings an enduring personal history to this characteristic approach, honoring Baca's individuality and his essential role in the ranch's daily life. HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

The artist; Pete Simmons, Colorado, commissioned from the above; Barbara Simmons Bayless, Colorado, gift of the above; By descent to the present owner, Roseville, California.

Scattered areas of fine craquelure. Areas of unworked canvas visible. A few scattered possible white surface accretions. Under UV examination, no apparent inpainting. Foxing visible verso.
Framed Dimensions 18.875 X 18.875 Inches