Diné (Navajo) Painting of Man with his Dog and Sheep [SOLD]

It is difficult to appreciate the talent of an artist until one has seen a variety of that artist's work. Since we acquired a collection of over 36 of Beatien Yazz's paintings, it has been a revelation to study the breadth of his talent. He certainly was well endowed with artistic depth. His paintings cover the broad spectrum from a single yellow bird to a multitude of animals and people in a single painting. His "Enchanted Forest" (Item #C2962A) and "Ancient Ones" (Item #C2960D) are as varied from each other as is this painting of a Navajo man running his sheep.

Yazz was born around 1928 and became enchanted with drawing and painting at a very early age. There were no other Navajo artists doing such at that time. None were making a living from being artists and easel art was virtually unknown to the very isolated Indians on the Navajo Reservation. Yazz may be the first Navajo to earn a living on the reservation as a painter of art. His long career as an artist is evident in the broad spectrum of his work. His love for painting is evident in every one of his paintings. It is obvious he did not turn them out just to make a sale. Each painting was meticulously finished to the minutest detail.

This painting is not an exception. The horse is perfect to every detail, as is the man. The man's face expresses his tension and dedication to the task at hand. The outline of a mountain in the background and the purple ground plane add a dimension of modernity to an otherwise traditional action painting.

This is one of the finest examples by this very talented artist. It is in original condition. There is a very slight black smudge in the upper left corner that could be a hand print. It is so minor as to be almost unnoticeable. The painting is shrink-wrapped, not framed.

Provenance: This painting is among a collection from the Balcomb family, formerly owners of an art gallery which they closed in 1976.