Original Painting of Owls and Porcupines by Beatien Yazz [SOLD]

This original painting was created by Diné artist Beatien Yazz.  The influential artist was known for his depictions of wildlife, so as far as subject matter goes, this piece is typical.  The animals he chose for this piece and the manner in which they are presented, however, are most unique.  His subjects here are a pair of owls and a pair of porcupines, animals which we’ve seen occasionally but not frequently in Yazz’ works.

Yazz created an unusual composition for this piece.  Tree branches reach in toward the center of the image from unseen trunks outside the frame.  The branches reaching in from the right hold the two porcupines, and the branches reaching in from the left hold the pair of owls.  In the background, bright orange clouds and a sliver of orange moon appear.  The clouds are staggered vertically, reaching in toward the center of the image along with the tree branches.  A dozen birds appear, flying in the same direction across the otherwise black sky.  With no earth in sight and a background that’s all night sky, it feels as though Yazz has placed the viewer within the high tree branches, among the owls and porcupines. 

The painting is signed B. Yazz in the lower right.  It is framed in a carved wood frame, under a green mat with a tan interior band. 

Beatien Yazz (1928-2012) Little No Shirt (Jimmy Toddy) was an influential Diné painter.  Yazz was a natural talent who began exhibiting and selling his work when he was just a teenager.  He studied art in Santa Fe, and eventually attended Mills College, where he studied under Japanese artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi.  He experimented with a variety of media over the years but completed the majority of his works in casein and tempera paints.  His paintings are in the permanent collections of the Museum of New Mexico, Philbrook Art Center, Denver Art Museum, the Bern Museum in Switzerland, and many more notable institutions.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Original Painting of Owls and Porcupines by Beatien Yazz is from the large collection of a Santa Fe resident, who purchased the piece directly from the artist.

References:

- Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art, Clara Lee Tanner 

- The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters, Patrick D. Lester

Relative Links: Navajo Reservation, Spin a Silver Dollar, Paint the Wind, paintings, Beatien Yazz, Navajo Nation Painter