Helen Hardin Untitled Painting with Sun, Kokopelli, and Footsteps [SOLD]

Kokopelli’s Footprints: A Journey through Helen Hardin’s Symbolic Artistry

Helen Hardin (1943-1984), known in Tewa as Tsa-Sah-Wee-Eh (Little Standing Spruce), demonstrated her artistic prowess through works like this one. This piece is a quintessential representation of her use of diverse Native American motifs. As noted by Jay Scott in "Changing Woman: The Life and Art of Helen Hardin," her artistry was a deliberate blend of the mystical essence of her Santa Clara Pueblo heritage and a departure from the conventional styles of her contemporaries.

In this painting, a shift in motif is apparent with the inclusion of footprints of the humpbacked flute player fertility figure encircling the sun. Here, the Sun face is reimagined in primary colors—red, yellow, and blue. Representing the sacred Sun Father, the Sun face symbolizes the sun's vital role in nurturing life, promoting growth, and bringing prosperity and happiness to people. This celestial symbol also holds importance for the Hopi, serving as a guide for their essential crop planting seasons.

Helen Hardin's painting showcases a masterful execution, characterized by meticulous line-work against speckled color fields. This technique mirrors the precision seen in the linework of her mother, Pablita Velarde. Inspired by Velarde, Hardin began her artistic journey at a young age, diverging from her mother's and peers' styles to create contemporary pieces imbued with Native American symbols and striking geometric patterns.

Hardin employed architectural drafting tools to create the angular patterns in her paintings. Impressively, this painting features hundreds of evolving line structures, undoubtedly requiring many hours to craft the background patterns. The kokopelli seems to overlay the background pattern, along with the horizontal ground plane on which he walks.

Kokopelli, a legend dating back over 3,000 years to when the first petroglyphs were carved, is traditionally depicted as a humpback flute player. He is recognized as a symbol of fertility, replenishment, music, dance, and mischief. While some portrayals may be more graphic than others, this captivating painting adheres to his role as a flute player. His humpback is symbolic of a collection of seeds.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Helen Hardin Untitled Painting with Sun, Kokopelli, and Footsteps is from the collection of a resident of Santa Fe

Recommended Reading: Changing Woman: The Life and Art of Helen Hardin by Jay Scott

TAGS: Santa Clara Pueblo, Pablita Velarde, Native American Prints, Native American Paintings, Helen Hardin, Santa Clara Pueblo Painter, Southwest Indian Pottery, Zia Pueblo,  Southwest Indian Pottery