Beatien Yazz Original Watercolor Painting of Bighorn Sheep [SOLD]

This original painting was created by Diné artist Beatien Yazz.  The artist’s unique ability to create appealing depictions of wildlife has been well documented.  This piece definitely fits that description, but it’s unlike the artist’s usual wildlife offerings in many ways.  First and foremost is the chosen animal—the piece features a bighorn sheep, which we’ve not seen appear often in Yazz’ work. 

The environment that is depicted here is similarly out of the ordinary.  Usually, we would see the primary subject placed in the center of the image, with a smattering of small natural features completing the image.  Occasionally, more intricate landscapes appear in the artist’s work.  Here, we zoom in to the landscape to see a stylish and detailed depiction of a steep mountainside.  These cliffs, like the sheep itself, are purple.  Beyond the cliffs, warm waves of orange bend upward, forming a brilliant sky.  What is wonderful about this image is the way that it’s split in two—neither directly nor exactly, it should be noted, as the jagged cliffs’ edges and the sheep’s protruding head form the dividing line—and the way the two halves’ color schemes complement one another.

The painting is signed B. Yazz in the lower right.  It is framed under two layers of matting in gray and pale orange, each of which has a black interior band.  The carved wood frame has an interior band that is painted gold.

Beatien Yazz (1928-2012) was an influential Diné artist who began painting at the age of eight.  During his long career he exhibited widely, received a great many awards and accolades, and became known internationally for his work.  His works are included in many prominent public collections and most of the major publications relating to early Native painting.  In the late 1980s, his eyesight began to deteriorate due to glaucoma.  He continued painting,but was unable to work at the level he had previously.  Yazz passed away in 2012.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: from the large collection of a Santa Fe resident, who purchased the piece directly from the artist.

Reference: The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters, Patrick D. Lester

Relative Links: Navajo Reservation, Spin a Silver Dollar, Paint the Wind, paintings, Yazz: Navajo Painter, Beatien Yazz, Navajo Nation Painter