Description:
Watercolor on Paper. Signed l.r.: Beatin Yazz, Stamped u.r.: PLANCHE 74
From: American Indian Painters, Vol. 2, p. 12: Little No Shirt believes that he was born in 1928, but no one is sure. He suddenly made his debut in the art world when he was about nine years old. As a feature of National Art Week a one-man show of his work was shown in the Art Gallery of LaJolla, California, where he was described as a "genius" by the curator. He started on the road to artistic fame at the tender age of seven when given crayons by a white trader. He has painted ever since. No one attempted to teach art to the sensitive boy. He was furnished with painting material and a place where he could work during the day, running home to his paternal hogan at night. His early exhibits were, from the beginning, financial successes, and it was not long before he could buy a pony of his own and some sheep. Though the child showed remarkable talent, one cannot say that he is entirely self-taught. He attended for a short time the Indian School in Santa Fe where he came in contact with the art world that was to have some influence on his style. For a youngster in his twenties he has exhibited widely and received a great acclaim. He is represented in several public collections of art. Perhaps the greatest prestige was achieved with his illustrations for the popular book "Spin a Silver Dollar", by Alberta Hannum, published in 1945. "Frightened Antelope" is rather unusual and not entirely characteristics of his style. A herd of antelopes suddenly disturbed are making haste to escape our presence. The terrific excitement of the animals is suggested by the most simple means. In drawing and color it is as direct and as effective as a Cro-Magnon painting. In fact it is strangely reminiscent of such an ancient work. It does not have the usual studied decorative quality of Navajo painting, being rather a casual and spontaneous record of an incident on the wide plains. (Collection, Oscar Brousse Jacobson) Text references: American Indian Painters, Vol. 2, pp. 4, 12.