Tony Abeyta Original Oil Painting titled “The Spirit Visitor” [SOLD]

"The Spirit Visitor" is an original painting by Diné artist Tony Abeyta. It was completed in the early 2000s using oil paints on canvas. Abeyta has made many paintings exploring similar themes and using a similar format, most of which date to the 1990s. They often feature direct, head-on depictions of Yei figures. These pieces comprise his "Deity Series," of which this is a later example. "The Spirit Visitor" varies from the typical example by incorporating a palette that is heavy on off-white and tan tones, rather than bright reds, and what Abeyta described as a "more loose and painterly" style.

Abeyta's experiments with color and style were successful. His subject faces the viewer directly, with the mask positioned near the center of the image. Necklaces, a feathered headdress, and an evergreen ruff appear, but in a somewhat abstract manner, allowing the viewers to both identify the figure in a broad sense and use their imagination to fill in the more intricate details. The brushwork feels spontaneous and imaginative, and the color palette is absolutely gorgeous, resulting in a unique and spirited example of one of Tony Abeyta's most well-known styles.

The painting is signed Tony Abeyta in lower right. The canvas is gallery wrapped around a lightweight wood frame.

Diné artist Tony Abeyta (b. 1965) is one of the most prominent contemporary Native American painters. Abeyta was educated at Santa Fe's Institute of American Indian Arts, the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, and overseas in Italy and Southern France. His father was Diné painter Narciso Platero Abeyta (1918-1998) Ha So De. Abeyta's works are included in major museums around the world, and he has received many notable awards and accolades for his work. Abeyta lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Berkeley, California.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Tony Abeyta Original Oil Painting titled "The Spirit Visitor" is from a private collection

Recommended Reading: Abeyta | To'Hajiilee K'é. This book is about the recent exhibit at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe. It chronicles this important Diné family of artists-a father, son, and two daughters: Narciso Abeyta (1918-1998), Pablita Abeyta (1953-2017), Elizabeth Abeyta (1955-2006) Nah-Glee-eh-Bah, and Tony Abeyta (b. 1965). The catalog-book is available at the Wheelwright Museum.

TAGS: Diné - Navajo Nation, Native American Fine Art, Narciso Platero Abeyta, blankets, prehistoric, Kachinas, jewelry, Painting, Elizabeth Abeyta, Tony Abeyta