Navajo Painting of 8-Figure Yei-bi-chai Ceremony by Harrison Begay [SOLD]

Navajo Nation artist Harrison Begay has strongly portrayed Yei-bi-chai dancers here as they are in any of his most notable published works. Each Diné dancer is different, with unique details assigned to garments, masks, and jewelry. Their colors are vivid and bright, perhaps exaggerated a bit from those seen during these ceremonies. Begay and his contemporaries were known to use artistic license with their subjects' coloring. He succeeds with his use of soft pastel pinks and purples, adding warmth to the dry, earthy tones of the Southwest. Begay was adept at making accessible images, even when featuring subjects that were distinctly Diné or extremely specific in some other way. This ability, along with the remarkable technical skill that is often mentioned alongside his name, is what makes this painting utterly amazing.

Clara Lee Tanner’s Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art provides a concise description of the beginnings of Diné (Navajo) two-dimensional art: “Navajo Painting has a longer recorded history than that of any other Southwest group.  The cave murals of the 1830-1840 decade . . . which promised much in the way of new subject matter and treatment, stand as a prologue to the development of this painting. Horses and men, done in several colors, reflect a realism and virility not before expressed in the Southwest...Choh followed (pre-1889), painting realistic portrayals of trains and other objects.  Then, at the turn of the century, with his strangely vivacious yei. Additional Navajo artists appeared during the period from 1930 to 1940, and new ones have consistently emerged through the years thereafter.” (Tanner 1973 p. 301)

Further into her influential text, she provides an excellent summation of what Diné painting evolved into: “Navajo painting can be characterized by action, modeling, more or less bright colors, genre subjects with emphasis on horses and riders, ceremonial dancers and dynamism.”  Harrison Begay (1917-2012) was, by all accounts, the quintessential Diné traditionalist painter. Begay received his initial arts education at the Santa Fe Indian School, where he studied under Dorothy Dunn. He later attended colleges in North Carolina and Arizona before serving in the US Army Signal Corps. After his discharge, he returned to the Navajo reservation and focused on his art.  He was prolific, productive and beloved during his long career, and remains highly regarded today by collectors who appreciate fine traditional Diné images.

This untitled painting by Harrison Begay will delight collectors who appreciate unique and unusual images by this prolific creator.  With this superb image, Begay presents a ceremonial subject, rather than a scene of daily life. Eight Yei-bi-chai dancers—human representations of Diné spirit beings—descend down a hill, towards the viewer.  Each Yei-bi-chai is presented in remarkable detail, as is expected of Begay. What’s most atypical here is the strong sense of action and movement that the image conveys. Begay’s more common subjects—serene scenes of daily life—succeed because of their peaceful, easygoing charm.  This image, with its large scale and rousing ceremonial imagery, is truly exciting.

Begay’s Yei-bi-chai dancers are as strong here as they are in any of his most notable published works.  Each one is different, with unique details assigned to garments, masks and jewelry. Their colors are vivid and bright, perhaps exaggerated a bit from those actually seen during these ceremonies.  Begay and his contemporaries were known to use artistic license with their subjects’ coloring. He, in particular, succeeds with his use of soft pastel pinks and purples, adding warmth to the dry, earthy tones of the Southwest.  Begay was adept at making accessible images, even when featuring subjects that were distinctly Diné or very specific in some other way. This ability, along with the remarkable technical skill that is often mentioned alongside his name, is what makes this painting truly amazing.

This painting dates to the 1970s or early 1980s. It is signed Haskay Yahne Yah in lower left, and Harrison Begay in lower right.

Condition: this Navajo Painting of 8-Figure Yei-bi-chai Ceremony by Harrison Begay is in very good condition with a minor stain in lower left

Provenance: from the large collection of a New Mexico resident who purchased it in the 1970s while living in Gallup, NM

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.

Relative Links: Diné - Navajo, Harrison Begay, Dorothy Dunn, Native American Paintings