“The Flute Player” [SOLD]

David Chethlahe Paladin was a student of the Santa Fe Indian School, where he learned the basic fundamentals of painting from Dorothy Dunn.  Dunn encouraged her students to document and celebrate their cultures.  As a young man, Paladin struggled with his identity as the mixed-race son of a Navajo woman and a visiting white missionary.  As he developed as an artist, he began to display a genuine affection for his Navajo culture.  His style evolved considerably over the years, and ultimately drew from a wide variety of influences while always remaining grounded in his Native American roots.  Paladin was trained as a shaman, serving the Huichol and Tarahumara tribes in Mexico as well as his native Navajo people.

“The Flute Player” is a joyful image, vibrant and full of life.  Painted on a thin board with opaque watercolors, the image depicts a flute player dressed in colorful traditional garb.  The musician must be creating something great, as the bird, butterfly and even the potted plant all appear to be dancing.  A wavy inner border of black and turquoise adds to the already powerful feeling of movement.  Its dark yellow outer border is actually a second thin board, to which the first board was attached by the artist.  Paladin added a signature, date, and title to this outer border. 

Condition:  appears to be in very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of a longtime Santa Fe resident