Jicarilla Apache Landscape Scene with Teepees [SOLD]

Steven Vincenti (1917-1948) Nehakije was born in Dulce, New Mexico, on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation. He was educated at the Santa Fe Indian School. Clara Lee Tanner refers to the artist as the “first modern painter of the Apache Tribe.” His work has been shown at the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts in Ohio and the Indian Arts and Crafts Board at the Department of Interior in Washington, D.C.

Nehakije’s painting is consistent with the style that was taught at the Santa Fe Indian School during the early 20^th Century, when students were encouraged to paint scenes containing images from their lives. As a Jicarilla Apache, Nehakije himself did not live in teepees, however he was certainly aware of the traditions of his people.

Nehakije has placed his horseman on a ridge overlooking an expanse of grassland dotted with teepees all the way to the horizon.  He has added extra dimension to his painting by adding slight shadows under the horse and small bushes to indicate the position of the sun. This painting is a rare example of early work by a talented artist who died at the young age of 31.

The painting is watercolor on paper and has just been framed using acid-free materials.  It is signed Nehakije and dated 1944 in lower right.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: from the collection of a family from Pennsylvania

Recommended Reading: Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art by Clara Lee Tanner American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas by Dorothy Dunn