Robert Chee Original Painting of a Horse with Butterflies [SOLD]

This mesmeric painting of a horse is by Diné artist Robert Chee.  The horse looks as if she has been stopped mid canter, lifting opposing front right and back left hooves in the air.  She perches upon a hill and lifts her head playfully to admire three passing butterflies.  They each fly in a row— one mostly white, another yellow-cream, the last black.  These colors are mirrored on the horse, who is white, tan, and dark brown.  It looks as though it is winter, for the tree in the distance is bare and the ground appears to be snow covered.  Puffy white clouds frame the horse and cover the sky. 

Artist Robert Chee was a Diné painter.  He had a short but very active career. He is noted for two-dimensional strongly decorative work with bright colors. He adhered to all the characteristics of traditional Navajo painting. He frequently used dark backgrounds on his paintings and often used gold paint. His work is very fluid and with exceptional detail and finesse. The colors are bright, but soft at the same time. He was an exceptional painter. It is a tragedy that he did not live longer and was just 34 when he died.

The painting is signed R Chee in lower right.

Robert Chee (1937-1971) Hashke-Yil-e-Cale was in the military from 1958 to 1961 and painted murals in Army buildings in Germany during that time. Prior to his military service, he had studied with Allan Houser, the famous Apache artist, at Brigham, Utah's Inter-Mountain School.

Condition: There is some slight damage to the background on the left side of the painting, a small amount of dirt and possibly liquid at one point.  These areas are barely visible and this Rober Chee painting is in good condition. 

Provenance: This Robert Chee Original Painting of a Horse with Butterflies is from a private collection

Recommended Reading: Southwest Indian Painting: a changing art by Clara Lee Tanner

Relative Links: Diné of the Navajo Nation, Allan Houser, Apache, Native American Paintings, Robert Chee, Diné Painter