Two Hopi Flying Kachinas in Night Sky

This is a striking and spiritually resonant painting by Neil David, Sr., dated 1991. True to his style as a co-founder of Artist Hopid, this work beautifully bridges traditional Hopi religious iconography with a more modern, surrealist painterly depth, placing sacred figures into a vast, cosmic perspective.

The painting depicts two celestial Hopi spiritual beings (Katsinam) soaring through a deep, star-filled night sky, complete with shooting stars and distant nebulae.

• The Upper Left Figure (Chasing Star Katsina / Na-ngasohu):

  • This figure wears a tall, conical, multi-colored headdress topped with a stylized star/four-pointed planet symbol. He has a thick ruff of fur or hair around his face, painted white star/cloud symbols on his chest, and holds a bow in one hand and a rattle in the other.

  • Na-ngasohu is associated with the stars, meteor showers, and the celestial order. His presence represents the vastness of the heavens and the connection between the sky and Hopi ceremonial life.

• The Lower Right Figure:

  • This figure features a white mask with star-like triangular eye and mouth markings, a colorful conical hat, and a vibrant, striped torso. He carries a rattle and a decorated dance sash.

  • Significance: Together, these figures represent the spiritual guardians of the night, cosmos, and sky, acting as intermediaries who travel between the earthly realm and the heavens.

• The Cosmos as a Canvas: Unlike older, flat-style Pueblo paintings that typically used solid white or neutral backgrounds, David utilizes a richly textured, airbrushed, or finely splattered dark blue background. This technique creates an immersive sense of infinite space, making the stars appear to flicker.

• Movement and Depth: The dramatic foreshortening of both figures makes them appear to be actively flying toward the viewer out of the void, showcasing David's superb mastery of anatomy and perspective.

• The Artist's Signature: His signature monogram, "Neil David", written in a stylized, angular script under a sweeping horizontal line, accompanied by his '91 date and his personal mark appear in the lower right.

  ---

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this painting of Two Hopi Flying Kachinas in Night Sky is  from the collection of a client of Adobe Gallery

Recommended Reading: Hopi Painting: the World of the Hopis by Patricia Janis Broder.

TAGS: Neil Randall David, Sr., Native American Paintings, Katsina dolls, Hopi Pueblo, Native Drawing, Native Painting, Carving, Hopi-Tewa , Bronze, Neil David, Jr.