Untitled Navajo Painting of Horse and Bird by Robert Chee [SOLD]

Diné artist Robert Chee excelled at creating simple, beautiful scenes of life on the Navajo reservation.  This untitled painting of a horse is a fine example. Horses are prominently featured in many Diné artworks because they were central to the daily lives of the Diné people.  Early petroglyphs often featured horses and other animals. That tradition continued when early Diné painters Harrison Begay, Narciso Abeyta, Andrew Tsinnajinnie began putting them onto paper.  They accomplished this under the guidance of Santa Fe Indian School art instructor Dorothy Dunn. The next generation, which included Robert Chee, continued and elaborated on the established tradition of paying tribute to the Navajo Nation’s animal population.

Chee’s subject here is a single horse.  It’s pictured in profile and in motion, crossing a small hill as its mane flows in the wind.  The hill comprises a series of lines in complementary grays and whites, with small stones and plants.  Overhead, a single bird crosses the sky, trailed by three lines indicating its motion. This painting will appeal to a wide variety of collectors.  Those who appreciate Diné traditionalism will, of course, appreciate the composition. Horse lovers will appreciate the strong profile view of the beautiful animal in motion.  Anyone who enjoys accessible, decorative Southwestern imagery will appreciate its tasteful color scheme and simple beauty.

The painting is signed “Robert Chee” in lower right.  It is presented beautifully—framed, under glass and three layers of matting in complementary colors.

Robert Chee (1937-1971) Hashke-Yil-e-Cale was a Diné painter whose life and career were, unfortunately, very short. Chee's mother recognized his talent and enrolled him at Brigham, Utah's Inter-Mountain School. There, he studied with famous Apache artist Allan Houser.  He was in the military from 1958 to 1961, and was actively creating art then, too, painting murals in Army facilities in Germany. Chee's paintings are almost always in keeping with the traditional Diné style, which had already been made recognizable by artists like Harrison Begay, Quincy Tahoma, and Gerald Nailor.  The influence of these predecessors is clear in his paintings, particularly in his subjects' faces. The fine lines and incredible detail for which the pioneering Diné painters are rightfully celebrated is present in Chee's strongest works. Chee died in 1971, at just 34 years old.

Note: when we say Diné, as opposed to Navaho or Navajo, we are referring to the people and not the government.  Since 1969, their government refers to itself as the Navajo Nation.  

Condition: this Untitled Navajo Painting of Horse and Bird by Robert Chee is in excellent condition

Provenance: private Florida collection

Recommended Reading: Southwest Indian Painting: a changing art by Clara Lee Tanner

Relative Links: Diné of the Navajo Nation, Native American Southwest Paintings, Robert Chee, Clara Lee Tanner