Original Painting of a Navajo Female Dancer [SOLD]

“Andrew Tsihnahjinnie, in many respects—incisive interpretation, spontaneity of brushwork, originality of color, vigor of draftsmanship and vitality of action—had no equals among the artists of the studio and perhaps few superiors among modern painters. If equanimity and self-confidence were to rule his artistic abilities, Tsihnahjinnie might well be one of America’s top-ranking painters. In the brief seasons when he felt freed to paint the things he knew so deeply, without troubled concern for doing otherwise, his work attained a trenchant beauty, unique in modern art. Dorothy Dunn, 1963

“When World War II broke out, Tsihnahjinnie volunteered for the Marine Corps, spending most of his three and one-half years of service in the Pacific. Among the many places he was stationed was Tokyo, and close to this city he reputedly decorated a Japanese bar. More important he was exposed to Chinese and Japanese art during his stay in the Orient. Although this may not have affected him directly, certainly some of his postwar paintings have a decided Asian flavor.” Clara Lee Tanner, 1957

In this rendering of a beautiful Navajo woman, one can see the Asian influence so often seen in his art. The beautiful face of the woman is white-washed as seen on faces of Geisha and the Kabuki actors of Japan.  Perhaps that was his intent or perhaps not, but it is likely an influence he adopted from his overseas travels.

This is one of the finest art pieces that Tsihnahjinnie ever produced. We were so impressed with the fineness of the paint application, that we took it out of the frame to examine it to see if it might be a silkscreen print, but it is an original Native American painting on artist board.

It is signed in the lower right corner Tsihnahjinnie. It is undated, but was probably painted in the 1960s.  It is matted and framed with acid-free materials and is ready to hang.

Condition:  It is in very good condition with minor stain at edge (see close-up image below).

References:

Dunn, Dorothy, American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas, UNM Press 1968

Tanner, Clara Lee. Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art, University of Arizona Press 1972

Provenance: from the collection of a family from California