Spotted Youngster and Cottontail Friends [SOLD]

A subject for whom Begay is well known is that of animals around the Navajo Reservation. He treats this subject matter with a loving tenderness. Perhaps it is in memory of his youth on the Reservation. The animals are varied and many sizes. The animals are beautifully and accurately rendered—a demonstration of his familiarity with them.

Unlike so many of his contemporaries who use strong colors, Begay has an affinity for the softer pastel hues. This renders his paintings with a feeling of warmth and mellowness.

Begay has centered the primary animal as the focal point, silhouetted against a colorless sky and conventional ground plane, with grasses in the background and foreground. The ground plane is highlighted in pastel colors of salmon hues.

According to Clara Lee Tanner, “In a 1969 Scottsdale show entry, his expression of gentle charm, his fluid lines, his fresh and clear colors are, perhaps, more in evidence than ever before. Eyes seem brighter; bodies display a little more vigor. Both large and small symbolic themes appear more frequently in his 1960 creations. Certainly he was at a peak in his painting in 1968-71.” Begay continued this style into the 1990s.

This painting is signed with his traditional English/Navajo names. It is not dated but appears to be one of his later works, i.e. circa 1990s. It is in original excellent condition and is matted and framed with archival materials and a blond wooden frame.