Painting of a Navajo Encampment [R]

“Andrew Tsihnahjinnie, in many respects—incisive interpretation, spontaneity of brushwork, originality of color, vigor of draftsmanship and vitality of action—had no equals among the artists of the studio and perhaps few superiors among modern painters. If equanimity and self-confidence were to rule his artistic abilities, Tsihnahjinnie might well be one of America’s top-ranking painters. In the brief seasons when he felt freed to paint the things he knew so deeply, without troubled concern for doing otherwise, his work attained a trenchant beauty, unique in modern art.” (Dunn, p.302)

Tsihnahjinnie was a master at depicting a realistic approach to the everyday life activities of his people. Whereas Harrison Begay portrayed an idealistic approach to Navajo life, Tsihnahjinnie was recording the history of the Navajo in his paintings. He painted scenes of Sings (a ceremony), Gamblers, Dances and other events of the isolated life of the Navajo.

In this painting, he captured the arrival of the Navajo at an approaching Sing or Dance, probably that of the Yeibichai. They have pulled in their wagons and set up for the all-night affair. Each family has been presented in a manner that illustrates each is different—in dress, in activity, in size.

The painting is extraordinary and appears to be in original excellent condition. It is framed in a wooden frame without the use of matting of any sort. It is signed in lower right.

Relative LInks: Navajo, Apache, Santa Fe, Dorothy Dunn, painting, Andrew Van Tsihnahjinnie, Harrison Begay