Original Drawing of a Group of Diné Women by Andrew Van Tsihnahjinnie [SOLD]

Diné artist Andrew Tsihnahjinnie created this original drawing.  Tsihnahjinnie’s works are among the most stylish and expressive of the early Diné painters.  This piece, despite being completed using only thin lines in black, is no exception. The limitations of the medium actually highlight the artist’s skill.  It’s not easy to create a compelling image using such simple tools, but Tsihnahjinnie managed to do so with this image. 

In this untitled drawing, five Diné women gather in a circle.  The woman positioned closest to the viewer seems to be the center of attention.  She stands with one hand raised, as the other four women look on, smiling.  Perhaps she’s an elder, sharing her experience with a group of younger women, or maybe they’re a group of peers who have gathered to talk.  Whatever the case may be, it is an appealing scene.  The women are dressed similarly, but each of their faces is totally unique.  This is an area in which Tsihnahjinnie excelled—creating human figures with depth and character.  This is another unique and beautiful piece from Andrew Tsihnahjinnie.

The drawing is signed Tsinajinnie.  Near the bottom edge, “12” is written in pencil.

Andrew Van Tsihnahjinnie (1916 - 2000) was a Diné painter who was born near Chinle, Arizona. He attended elementary school at the Indian School at Fort Apache, but ran away and returned to the reservation. He then attended school in Santa Fe and became a student of Dorothy Dunn at the Santa Fe Indian School. He was an excellent student and was known to have stayed in the studio painting until forced to return to the dormitory. Following his graduation he went to work as an illustrator for the Indian Service.  Tsihnahjinnie’s works are included in many prominent public and private collections, and are published in most of the major texts which relate to Native painting. Tsihnahjinnie passed away in 2000.

Condition: very good condition, some light smudges of black ink are visible around the edges

Provenance: this Original Drawing of a Group of Diné Women by Andrew Van Tsihnahjinnie is from a private New Mexico collection

Recommended Reading: American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas by Dorothy Dunn, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1968.

Relative LInks: Navajo, Apache, Santa Fe, Dorothy Dunn, painting, Andrew Van Tsihnahjinnie, Diné Artist