Mixed Media Painting “Kachina Collage” [SOLD]

Dan Namingha is from the Hopi-Tewa village at First Mesa.  He is a member of the famous Nampeyo family.  His mother is Dextra Nampeyo and his grandmother was Rachel Namingha Nampeyo. He was born in 1950 and attended High School at Keams Canyon, Arizona, the University of Kansas and then the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe where he came under the influence of Otellie Loloma who encouraged him to experiment with his art.  He began his art career painting in realistic style and then, around 1972, began to paint in a more abstract manner. Teachers at IAIA, such as Otellie Loloma, Allan Houser, and Fritz Scholder, encouraged the students to expand their horizons and paint creatively, which many did.

There was a period in the 1970s when Dan Namingha painted images of katsinas, Hopi landscapes, pueblo dances, and spiritual subjects.  This mixed media “Kachina Collage” captures the spirit of the meaning of katsinas.  This is an excellent example of his work at that time. The katsinas appear to be suspended above the earthly realm, illustrating their supernatural life, not their period on earth when dancing in the plaza. 

The painting is mixed media on linen—incorporating oil paints and fabric.  It has a number of colors that are subdued to a mellow tone.  It was completed in 1973, shortly after he returned from service in the Marine Corps.  It is signed in lower right Namingha.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: the painting was purchased in 1973 by the current owners, Marvin and Betty Rubin.

Recommended Reading: The Art of Dan Namingha by Thomas Hoving