Diné (Navajo) Painting of a Fawn ]SOLD]

Narciso Abeyta, Ha So De (Diné for "Ascending"), was known for his Indian-themed paintings, which, stylistically, are atypical of most of the Indian art of his generation. Abeyta attended the Santa Fe Indian School and the University of New Mexico. He also participated in exhibitions throughout the United States and in Paris. He won awards at the San Francisco Fair and at the New Mexico State Fair.

Abeyta regularly utilized a "somber" color palette as Clara Lee Tanner refers to it in her book Southwest Indian Painting: a Changing Art.  She states that he tended towards blacks, browns, burnt ochre and reds. Tanner also notes that Abeyta was more interested in "bold effects than in minute detail."

That boldness Tanner refers to is evident in this painting and the colors she said he used were used here except purple was substituted for red.  Abeyta achieved a soft and tender painting in this single fawn, yet, he stayed true to his boldness.  He was unique among his contemporaries.

Condition:  There is a crease/tear in lower left of the paper and a water spot in the very top left corner at the area of the mat board.  Neither of these is in the area of the painting and neither is visible unless examined closely.

Provenance: from a family in Arizona who has collected Native fine art

Recommended Reading: Southwest Indian Painting a Changing Art by Clara Lee Tanner