Beatien Yazz Painting of Three Diné Men on Horseback [SOLD]

C4531A-paint.jpg

+ Add to my watchlist Forward to Friend


Beatien Yazz, Navajo Nation Painter
  • Category: Paintings
  • Origin: Diné of the Navajo Nation
  • Medium: casein
  • Size:
    7-¼” x 10-½” image;
    15” x 18-⅜” framed
  • Item # C4531A
  • SOLD

This colorful original painting was created by Diné artist Beatien Yazz.  It features three Diné men on horseback, staring off into the distance.  Their backs are turned toward the viewer, hiding their faces, which adds an element of mystery to the image.  One might wonder what they’re doing, what they’re thinking, or what they’re talking about, and it will be up to the viewers to draw their own conclusions.

What is totally clear, though, is that Yazz paid an incredible amount of attention to each detail in this scene.  The clothing, hats, and jewelry look very natural, and the horses are similarly well executed.  The plants and rocks surrounding the horses’ hooves are a bit more intricate than usual, and the mesas and clouds in the distance round out the image quite nicely.  This piece provides another example of Beatien Yazz’ versatility and technical skill

Artist Signature of Beatien Yazz, Navajo Nation PainterThe painting is signed B. Yazz and dated ‘85 in lower right.  It is framed nicely, under glass and an off-white mat with interior bands in tan and maroon tones.

Beatien Yazz (1928-2012) Little No Shirt (Jimmy Toddy) was a painter who was born in 1928 on the Navajo Reservation.  At an early age, Yazz met Bill and Sallie Lippincott, traders at Wide Ruins Trading Post. They recognized Yazz’s talent and made available to him scraps of paper and other equipment so that he might practice his artwork.  Alberta Hannum’s book Spin a Silver Dollar tells the story of the Lippincotts and the young Navajo boy they encouraged. The book was illustrated by the boy himself—Beatien Yazz. He served in the U.S. Marines in World War II and was a member of the famed Navajo Code Talkers. Following the war, he returned to the reservation and began to paint in earnest. He specialized in subjects familiar to him in his daily life on the reservation. He has been eminently popular with collectors since the 1950s.


Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Beatien Yazz Painting of Three Diné Men on Horseback is from the estate of a New York client

Recommended Reading: YAZZ Navajo Painter by J.J. Brody, Sallie R. Wagner, and Beatien Yazz

Relative Links: Navajo ReservationSpin a Silver DollarPaint the WindpaintingsBeatien Yazz, Navajo Nation Painter

Beatien Yazz, Navajo Nation Painter
  • Category: Paintings
  • Origin: Diné of the Navajo Nation
  • Medium: casein
  • Size:
    7-¼” x 10-½” image;
    15” x 18-⅜” framed
  • Item # C4531A
  • SOLD

C4531A-paint.jpgC4531A-large.jpg Click on image to view larger.