Original Painting: Enchanted Forest with Two Bears and Various Animals [SOLD]

Beatien Yazz, Little No Shirt (Jimmy Toddy) was born in 1928 on the Navajo Reservation. Yazz showed promise as an artist very early. At an early age, Yazz met the Lippencotts, traders at the Wide Ruins Trading Post and they made available to him scraps of paper and other equipment so that he might practice in color.  He went on to illustrate two books by Alberta Hannum about life on the reservation.

His paintings reflected his vision of reservation life, many which included the activities of children and animals as well as Navajo ceremonies. For a time period his experiences with the Native American Church became the subject of some of his most interesting work.

It is difficult to really interpret this particular painting. At first it seems to be an animal scene. However, the bright background is unusual. It looks like a sunrise and the animals are all waking up to a new day. There are owls, raccoons, deer, skunks and a variety of birds interacting with the bears. Perhaps the artists were influenced by the creative works of Walt Disney or perhaps they influenced the work of Disney Studios. Either way, this is a rare example from one of the best known Navajo artists of the 20^th century.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from a family collection in Virginia

Recommended Reading: Yazz, Navajo Painter by J. J. Brody