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“Santa Fe Mountains”, A striking Abstract Modernist Hopi Landscape painting of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains in Santa Fe, NM by Dan Namingha, 1987
HOPI ARTIST, DAN NAMINGHA (b.1950) has a most distinguished six-generation long artistic family lineage, he is the
Great great-grandson of the World-renowned Hopi pottery matriarch, Nampeyo of Hano (1858-1942) and the son of her Great-Granddaughter, another distinguished Hopi potter, Dextra Quotskuyva Nampeyo (1928-2019). He grew up with great art and great beauty and great history all around him everywhere and he has this inherent foundation of extraordinary tradition, culture and vision to call upon in the creation of his own art.
And call upon it he does most beautifully, his paintings and works on paper are elegantly hard-edged, color-drenched, deeply saturated distinctly Modernist visions and views of Hopi and other Southwestern landscapes and various Hopi
and other Pueblo cultural references. Over the course of his long career, Dan has received an incredibly long list of important awards and recognition, far too many to list them all here. Notable among these are the 2016 “Living Treasures Award” from The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, the 2009 honorary Doctorate from The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and the 1995 New Mexico Governor’s Award For Excellence in the Arts, Santa Fe, NM. This is in addition to his 75 or so solo exhibitions in major galleries and museums across the country
and around the world all of which adds up to an extraordinarily impressive artistic resume to say the least.
Six Generations of Nampeyo/Namingha Family Artistic Greatness
Above left photo, from left to right; the first four generations of Dan Namingha's Nampeyo family artistic dynasty, all distinguished Hopi pottery makers. At center of photo, White Corn, Nampeyo's Mother, at right, Nampeyo, at left, Nampeyo's eldest daughter, Annie Healing Nampeyo holding her baby daughter, Rachel Namingha Nampeyo. Above center photo, Rachel Namingha Nampeyo's daughter and Dan Namingha's Mother, pottery maker Dextra Quotskuyva Nampeyo, c. 2018. Above right photo, six-genertaion Hopi artist, painter Dan Namingha, c. 2012.
All photo source and © Wikipedia
This wonderful, somewhat abstract Modernist landscape painting entitled “Santa Fe Mountains” is a perfect case in point. It is a beautiful, striking and fascinating display of Namignha’s unique and exceptional artistic vision and talent. Anyone who has spent any time at all in Santa Fe has seen the natural, occurring every day version of this painting, the powerful landscape of dark, brooding, sharply rising high mountains hard against and hulking over the very edge of our ancient city, in reality mountains which are actually in and part of the city itself with a huge towering sky with powerful clouds swirling above. These peaks are a constant presence in the existence and consciousness of everyone who lives or visits here. Namingha has re-arranged the colors and shapes here in a Modernist somewhat abstracted presentation to get to
a deeper reality of the long and often bloody and conflicted history of this place, particularly for its indigenous ancient Native American population who have shed much blood over the centuries in direct armed conflict and often uneasy truces with the Spanish invaders.
The landscape here runs red both literally and figuratively with centuries of their combined blood and Namtingha’s color palette reflects this deeper historic reality of great physical natural beauty mixed and overlaid with conflict, violence and human repression and resilience. The ancient Hopi, though somewhat distanced by geography from the administrative and military center of colonial Spanish oppression in the Southwest, still suffered mightily for years at the heavy hands of the Spanish occupation and rose up in armed rebellion against them along with their New mexico Pueblo brothers and sisters in the great Pueblo revolt of 1680. Too, the Hopi also have longstanding trade and cultural ties with the ancient Pueblos of New Mexico’s Rio Grande Valley and there are still a number ancient Hopi religious shrines high in these mountains which are used to this day.
The painting is masterfully done with beautifully accomplished brushwork, thick bold impastoed and textured surfaces, and a powerful paint palette of intense, bright colors. Namingha has made obvious abstracted adjustments and re-arrangements to the landscape and sky here, but the communication of the place and most importantly the "feel" and sense of the power and intensity of these mountains and their witness to and participation in storied history here is true and totally spot on. One can literally feel the ancient depth, strength and intense power of this unique, timeless, long fought over landscape. These Mountains historic name bestowed upon them by Coronado and his conquistadores of
"El Sangre de Cristo" or "Blood of Christ" is most appropriately and very poignantly chosen.
At left, a late afternoon winter sunset view of alpenglow on the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Left photo source and © ilovesantafehomes, Bunny Terry.
The painting is done in acrylic paints on canvas and measures 14" in height and 11" in width (sight). The painting is very nicely and appropriately framed floating in a medium blonde-colored wood frame and its framed dimensions are 16 1/4"
in height, 13 1/4" in width and 2" in depth. The painting is in thoroughly excellent original condition particularly for its nearly forty years of age. A thorough examination under Ultraviolet light reveals no evidence of restoration or overpainting anywhere. The painting is properly signed "Namingha" in the artist’s customary cursive signature at the lower right and dated ’87. The painting is also signed "Dan Namingha" on the painting's black paper backing in silver ink and dated 1987. The paper backing has been partially torn for some reason possibly to inspect the painting's interior.
There are also the artist’s inventory number "DN 015" and the framer’s information label on the back.
The painting has had only one previous owner, a local Santa Fe family. The family’s daughter who inherited it from
her mother and later sold it to us informed us that her Mother had originally purchased this painting directly from
Dan Namingha at the annual Santa Fe summer Indian Market sometime in the late 1980’s.
Modern day Native American fine art does not get any better or any more unique than this intense powerful
painting and little wonder since it came from the inspired mind and talented hands of a talented sensitive, modern
Native American artist informed by an unprecedented, amazing and powerful artistic, cultural and personal past.
Price $5,200
