Navajo Wood Carving of Figure with Arms Raised by Charlie Willeto [SOLD]

This folk art carving by Diné artist Charlie Willeto is a strong example of one of the artist’s most sought-after styles: a figure with its arms raised above its head.  Some of these figures are very specific in their decoration and adornment, others are inexplicit. This piece—a horned figure, arms bent at the elbows and turned upward—is a classic Willeto carving that recalls figures depicted in Southwestern petroglyphs.  Willeto added black and white paint to the figure’s front, creating simple triangular shapes and horizontal lines. Interestingly, the figure’s back side is much more elaborate, with more intricate design work and the addition of bright orange. The piece stands freely on a black base.

The Museum of New Mexico Press’ 2002 book Collective Willeto: The Visionary Carvings of a Navajo Artist includes an essay by Lee Kogan.  In his essay, Kogan—the director of the Folk Art Institute at the American Folk Art Museum—offers his thoughts on the gesture: “The pose suggests a prayer, a blessing, an offering, a call to the spirits, or the stance of an animal, such as a bear. The raised arms are not restricted solely to the haataalii and spirit figures; the heroic Navajo warrior and female weaver are often presented with raised arms. The gesture may have a variety of cultural sources. Deities and godlike figures in sandpaintings are frequently depicted with raised arms bent at the elbow. Although the literature suggests that there was no Catholic Influence on Navajo culture, one might consider the influence of Catholic Franciscan Fathers on Willeto’s work, since to Catholics a raised arms is a blessing gesture. Plains Indians and Pueblo tribes raise their arms in prayer and offerings to the sun. A better source may be the ubiquitous rock art found in New Mexico, and related ancient petroglyphs from other parts of North America and elsewhere. Whatever the source for this gesture, Willeto avoids static repetition by varying the position of the outstretched arms and by placing different objects in each hand, with ceremonial figures often carrying the medicine man’s rattle.”

Charlie Willeto (1897-1964) was a Diné artist who was unrecognized during his lifetime but has, in recent years, received a great deal of acclaim for his folk art carvings.  Willeto’s father Pablo Walito was a Diné medicine man; his mother Adzaan Tsosie “Slender Woman” was a medicine woman. Willeto followed into his parents’ profession, and also married a woman who was born into the traditional Diné healing arts. In 1961, Willeto began creating the carvings for which he is celebrated today.  The carvings ranged in size from a few inches tall to nearly life-size, with the majority standing between one and three feet. Willeto is believed to have completed about 400 carvings in total. Today, his works are included in prominent public and private collections, including the Smithsonian and the Museum of International Folk Art.

Condition: this Navajo Wood Carving of Figure with Arms Raised by Charlie Willeto is in excellent condition

Provenance: private collection

Recommended Reading: Collective Willeto: The Visionary Carvings of a Navajo Artist, Museum of New Mexico Press

Relative Links: Navajo Nation - Diné, Charlie Willeto