Original Painting of Navajo Card Game [SOLD]

Andrew Van Tsihnahjinnie (1916-2000) was born near Chinle, Arizona, in 1916. He attended elementary school at the Indian School at Fort Apache, but ran away and returned back to the reservation. He then attended school in Santa Fe and became a student of Dorothy Dunn at The Studio of the Santa Fe Indian School. He was an avid student and was known to have stayed in the studio painting until forced to return to the dormitory. Following his graduation he went to work as an illustrator for the Indian Service.

During World War II, he volunteered for the Marine Corps and did service in the Pacific where he was exposed to Chinese and Japanese art. When he returned from the war he lived and worked in Scottsdale, Arizona, and in 1968 went to work as an instructor at the Rough Rock School on the Navajo Reservation. From there he went on to teach at Navajo Community College.

Andy Tsihnahjinnie’s best work was his portrayal of Navajo life and ceremonies. He was known for his attention to detail in paintings. This painting of the gamblers or card players is a colorful and humorous example of Andy Tsihnahjinnie’s ability to intricately describe elements of the Navajo lifestyle. A group of seven Navajo male and females is engaged in a favorite pastime, gambling. They are sitting on a blanket in a circle. He has captured the distinctive facial features of the Navajo as well as the details of traditional clothing. In the background two spectators are watching while their horses hang out.  This painting is a great example of the range of talent of Andy Tsihnahjinnie.

The artist signed his name in the light blue band in the lower right.  Interestingly, Andy Tsihnahjinnie painted the background of the canvas board a white color, leaving an area around that unpainted, making it appear that there is a mat around the painting, but there is not.  The painting is framed without glass.  It is believed this is a later work by the artist as later in his career, when his eyesight began failing, he began to use brighter colors as in this painting.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman in Pennsylvania 

Recommended Reading: American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas by Dorothy Dunn