Harrison Begay Original Painting of Diné Couple Headed for a Squaw Dance [SOLD]

This original painting was created by Diné artist Harrison Begay.  It features a Diné couple who appear to be on their way to a squaw dance.  They wear traditional clothing, which Begay altered slightly by using his typical warm pastel tones.  They are framed within a symmetrical arrangement of plant and cloud designs, with a thick pink line signifying the earth.  In the distance, below the stylized cloud formations, birds fly in the same direction the young couple walks.  This is a sweet and beautiful image from an influential Diné artist.

The painting is signed Harrison Begay in lower right and Haskay Yahne Yah in lower left.  It is framed under two layers of matting in a simple wood frame. 

Harrison Begay (1917-2012) Haskay Yahne Yah - The Wandering Boy was a world-renowned Diné (Navajo) painter who is generally regarded as one of the most successful and influential early Native American painters.  Begay studied under Dorothy Dunn at the Santa Fe Indian School in the 1930s, and then attended colleges in North Carolina and Arizona. From 1942 to 1945, he served in the US Army Signal Corps.  In 1947, Begay returned to the Navajo reservation, where he enjoyed a long and productive career as a painter. He is known to have continued painting into his 90s. Begay passed away in 2012, leaving behind a large body of work and a legacy in the world of Native art.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Harrison Begay Original Painting of Diné Couple Headed for a Squaw Dance is private New Mexico collection

Recommended Reading: Tanner, Clara Lee. SOUTHWEST INDIAN PAINTING a Changing Art

Relative Links: Navajo, Native American Paintings, Harrison Begay, Diné Artist of the Navajo Nation