Beatien Yazz Original Painting of Diné Man on Horseback [SOLD]

This original painting was created by Diné artist Beatien Yazz.  One of Yazz’ great strengths was his ability to find new ways to present subjects he’d painted countless times in the past.  He favored imagery that could be described as “classic Diné”—horses and other wildlife, people performing the duties of their daily lives, the occasional ceremonial scene—but he consistently created fresh presentations of these subjects.  With this piece, he did exactly that, using nothing more than white paint on black paper to create a unique depiction of a man on horseback.

Yazz’ man is depicted in profile.  He wears the large hat, blanket, and moccasins that one might expect to see in an image like this.  The horse is of Yazz’ typically fine quality, with precise linework and accurate proportions.  Yazz elevated the image beyond the ordinary by using only white paint, and very little of it—the image is composed entirely of thin outlines which are not filled in.  Small specks of white appear around the painting’s upper edge, creating gentle and beautiful snowfall.  With this piece, Yazz used mood and atmosphere to turn a common subject into something unique and interesting. A spray of feathers was on top of the head, and a pair of upright feathers were in the location of ears.  All feathers were removed in accordance with federal regulations.

The painting is signed B. Yazz in the lower right.  It is framed under a black mat in a wood frame.

Beatien Yazz (1928-2012) Little No Shirt (Jimmy Toddy) was a painter who was born in 1928 on the Navajo Reservation.  At an early age, Yazz met Bill and Sallie Lippincott, traders at Wide Ruins Trading Post. They recognized Yazz’s talent and made available to him scraps of paper and other equipment so that he might practice his artwork.  Alberta Hannum’s book Spin a Silver Dollar tells the story of the Lippincotts and the young Navajo boy they encouraged. The book was illustrated by the boy himself—Beatien Yazz. He served in the U.S. Marines in World War II and was a member of the famed Navajo Code Talkers. Following the war, he returned to the reservation and began to paint in earnest. He specialized in subjects familiar to him in his daily life on the reservation. He has been eminently popular with collectors since the 1950s.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Beatien Yazz Original Painting of Diné Man on Horseback is from a private New Mexico collection

References:

- Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art, Clara Lee Tanner 

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

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