David Chethlahe Paladin (1926-1984) [author]

David Chethlahe Paladin was born on the Navajo Reservation in 1926 at Canyon de Chelly, AZ. He served in the U. S. Army during WWII and was a prisoner of war for over two years. He studied art at Santa Fe and at the California School of Fine Arts. He studied under Marc Chagall and Mark Tobey.

"Paladin gave credit to the influence of Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, and Marc Chagall for influencing him to abandon his early traditional style of painting and embark on a more contemporary style. While still a student, Paladin met Marc Chagall at an exhibition of the artist's work at the Chicago Art Institute. Chagall encouraged him to use is Navajo heritage but not to illustrate anything, instead he should listen to the story, dream it, and paint it. The influence of Mark Tobey and Morris Graves, whom he met in Portland, Oregon, led him to experiment with texture, mixing clay, sand, and mud, and adding them to his paintings." Arizona Arts and Lifestyle, spring 1980.

Some honors bestowed on him include: Newsweek, cited as nation's "leading Navajo modern artist," 1975; Carnegie Medal for Achievement in the Arts; Cambridge University Distinguished Service to the Arts and Education Commendation, 1970; International Biographical Center, London, England, Distinguished Service in Education and the Arts, 1976; and Distinguished Achievement Award, 1976; Italian Academy of Art, Gold Medal, 1981; Santa Fean Magazine, Artist of the Year, 1981.ladin was born on the Navajo Reservation in 1926 at Canyon de Chelly, AZ. He served in the U. S. Army during WWII and was a prisoner of war for over two years. He studied art at Santa Fe and at the California School of Fine Arts. He studied under Marc Chagall and Mark Tobey.