Neil David Sr. Mudhead Ceremony Painting [SOLD]

This striking painting is a historically significant work by the renowned Hopi-Tewa artist Neil Randall David, Sr. (b. 1944). The painting portrays a dramatic, intimate scene of Hopi ceremonial life set within a pueblo plaza at night:

• The Subjects: The central figures are Koyemsi (Mudheads), the sacred Hopi clown/assistant personages, recognizable by their distinct knobbed, mud-colored hoods. They are depicted in various active poses — kneeling with large white sacks (typically containing food, gifts, or ceremonial items), carrying bundles, and navigating the rooftops using traditional ladders.

• The Visitor: In the lower-left foreground, a figure representing a Sipikne Katsina visitor stands watching the proceedings, serving as a compositional anchor that draws the viewer's eye into the scene.

• Chiaroscuro & Atmosphere: The painting relies on a dramatic light source — a single red kerosene lantern held by one of the Mudheads — to cast deep, graphic shadows across the earthen ground and onto the walls. This contrast of warm lamplight against the deep, stormy blue of the night sky creates a highly atmospheric, secretive, and sacred mood.

• The Signature: The lower-right corner is signed with Neil David's distinctive monogram and dated "74" (1974).

• A Pivot Year for Hopi Art: The year 1974 is exceptionally significant in the artist's career. Just one year prior, in 1973, Neil David Sr. co-founded Artist Hopid — a groundbreaking collective of five Hopi artists (including Michael Kabotie, Milland Lomakema, Delbridge Honanie, and Terrance Talaswaima).

• The Mission of Artist Hopid: The collective aimed to document Hopi history, values, and ceremony through a contemporary, expressive visual lens. By 1974, the group was actively exhibiting together at major institutions like the Heard Museum.

While Neil David, Sr. eventually became widely celebrated for his intricate cottonwood Katsina doll carvings and humorous drawings of Koshare (Tewa clowns), this painting represents a prime, highly collectible example of his early-career narrative painting style from the peak of the Artist Hopid movement.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Neil David Sr. Mudhead Ceremony Painting 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.