Beatien Yazz Original Painting of Warrior in Profile [SOLD]

This original painting was created in 1943 by Diné artist Beatien Yazz.  The piece was completed when he was just a teenager.  The style used here originated at San Ildefonso Pueblo in the early 1900s, and was later popularized by a talented group of artists studying at the Santa Fe Indian School in the 1930s.  It features ceremonial dancers as subjects, with little in the way of atmosphere or environment.

Yazz’ early piece features a Native warrior wearing Plains-style regalia.  He carries a spear and shield, and wears a tall feathered headdress.  Early versions of what would become some of Yazz’ often-used personal touches appear here.  Up top, curving yellow lines form a cloud formation.  Down below, a pair of colored lines wind along beneath the warrior’s feet.  These designs would be repeated countless times throughout the artist’s career, becoming more refined as the years passed. This painting provides a fascinating look at the early work of a significant Diné artist.

The painting is signed Beatien Yazz in the lower right.  It is unframed and attached to the original mat. Handwritten text on verso and on the mat date the piece to 1943 and identify its original price of $3.

Beatien Yazz (1928-2012) was a Diné painter.  He was born on the Navajo Reservation. Yazz showed promise as an artist very early. At an early age, Yazz met the Lippencotts, who were traders at the Wide Ruins Trading Post. They made available to him scraps of paper and other supplies so that he might practice in color.  He was also the subject of Alberta Hannum's books Spin a Silver Dollar and Paint the Wind. His paintings were used as illustrations in children’s books and greeting cards.  He went on to enjoy a long and successful career as a painter.

Condition: good condition, some discoloration on attached mat

Provenance: this Beatien Yazz Original Painting of Warrior in Profile is from the large collection of a Santa Fe resident

Reference: 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