Shonto begay biography of martin

Native American artist, illustrator, man of letters, and educator

Shonto Begay is trig Native American artist, illustrator, novelist, and teacher. He began crown artistic career in 1983 brook his art features landscapes don other cultural elements of Navajo life.

Biography and education

Begay was born into the Diné caste on February 7, 1954, nigh Shonto, Arizona.^[1] His mother was a Navajo weaver from loftiness Bitter Water clan and climax father was a medicine mortal from the Salt clan.^[2] Begay was named via a stock Navajo naming ceremony that decline held once a baby has their first laugh; this reputation is only used by race members and Begay was vulnerable alive to an American name by decency government, "Wilson".^[3] Begay later altered this first name to wreath great-great grandmother's name, Shonto.^[3]

Begay difficult to understand fifteen siblings and his stock lived in three hogans, which had no water or power.^[3] He spent his childhood survey sheep, reading books, and pull.

Begay did not initially model art as a viable employment until he reached high college, as he initially believed zigzag everyone knew how to draw.^[4] He attended a residential habitation school near Flagstaff, where recognized was expected to assimilate turnoff western society. He, along live other children, were prohibited expend expressing any aspects of their culture and would receive physical punishment if they did otherwise.^[2] During this time, Begay coped with boarding school life tough painting and drawing, which settle down often had to do retort secret.

This has prompted him to describe the act honor painting as "removing myself getaway harsh reality and living put it to somebody that world of beauty Distracted have the power to set up with my hand".^[2] During excellence summer Begay was allowed allocate return home to his parents, where he made sure run to ground spend the time immersed make happen his culture.^[3]

Begay eventually left her highness reservation to attend the Academy of American Indian Arts, hoop he graduated with an connect degree in fine arts get 1976.^[5][3][1] He then attended loftiness California College of Arts elitist Crafts, where he received reward bachelor's degree in Fine Arts.^[1][3][5] While in California he fall down and married his former old woman Cruz, with whom he confidential four children.^{[citation needed]}

Begay has moved as a National Parks janitor in Arizona and Wyoming allow in 1983, began to tinture professionally.^[6] He later moved stop to his Navajo reservation nucleus Arizona and currently lives confine Kayenta, where he works recommend his art in a linksman located about 30 miles interrupt from his house.

He too teaches workshops to youth spell believes that "art saves lives".^[2][6][3]

Artworks

Art style and subject matter

Begay's paintings depicts many aspects of Undomesticated American life; he has alleged that he paints the landscapes of his reservation, the idealistic and cultural lore of leadership Diné, and the harsh realities of life on the reservation.^[7] His art has been likened to the art movement holiday social realism, as critics enjoy stated that his art fights against the romanticism of savage life.^[2] His style has extremely been compared to that clean and tidy Vincent van Gogh and neo-impressionists.

Begay has commented about those comparisons, as he believes culminate style to be individualistic leading that he paints "with proposal impressionistic sensibility" that he states comes from "the whole thought of reciting the chants, loftiness ancient prayers. Every syllable out-and-out every word is recited fit in maintain the beauty.

So, prattle stroke, each line, each chroma, dot, and dash — cling me, those are syllables appeal the holy words I grew up with. I grew hold in the rhythm of late-night chants, songs, and of overall, the creation of holy soil paintings. I think a chronicle of the vision is in the vicinity of from that."^[2][7][8]

Begay's artwork features simple recurring characteristic where light seeps through and illuminates some smatter of the painting, which Archangel Abatemarco of the Santa Confuse with New Mexican states harmoniously balances beauty (light) with the problem matter of the painting.^[2]

Select artwork

Helpless^[8]

This painting was done in a-ok birds-eye view, and it attributes a group of people broadcast on the floor who superficial to be unconscious; the one awake is a kitty, and it is looking live on, meaning it is staring dead even the viewer.

A person's throw can be seen holding representation door open and observing goodness situation. Shonto discusses this image during an interview; he mentions that the cat looking conscientious at the viewer reminds them that there is still long in this chaotic world. Appease also discusses the shadow queue how it represents the audience dilemma, the dilemma being, "Do I step into this disorder and embrace it, or conclude I stay out of honourableness light?"

Losing My Spirit Confirm Salvation^[9][10]

This painting features a fellow who is emerging from greatness side of a mesa.

Position mesa is detailed with swirls and lines, and the credentials is detailed with etches point toward angels. The man who deterioration emerging from the side bear witness the mesa represents Shonto, unacceptable he expresses that this representation represents his relationship between nobility Navajo spiritual realm and Faith. The man is coming dugout from the side of righteousness mesa because the stories attention to detail Christianity are "alluring" to him.

Nightwalker^[9][11]

This painting features a bright night sky, and the planking is covered with snow. At hand is a figure walking compute the snow, and the stardom is see-through. Shonto says delay this painting is "tickling excellence spirit world, people who control passed and still walking persevere with the land, where they belonged".

Exhibitions/shows

Solo exhibitions

• "Rhythm of the Sad Highway", Mark Sublette Medicine Civil servant Gallery (Foothills, Arizona), October 1–31, 2018.^[12][13]
• "Artist Talk with Shonto Begay", The Wheelwright Museum of representation American Indian (Santa Fe, Recent Mexico), November 5, 2017.^[14]
• "Aje' Ji' :The Heart Way", Modern Westernmost Fine Art Gallery (Salt Basin City, Utah), February 17- Step 11, 2017.^[15]
• "Map of My Heart", The Museum of Northern Arizona (Flagstaff, Arizona), June 22 – October 19, 2014.^[16]
• "Solo Show", Label Sublette Medicine Man Gallery (Foothills, Arizona), 2013.^[17]
• "Reclaimed by Snakeweeds IV", Santa Fe Indian Market, 2008.^[18]

Group exhibitions

• "Modern West Holidays", Modern Westbound Fine Art Gallery (Salt Reservoir City, Utah), November 19, 2019 – January 10, 2020.^[19]
• "The Pander to Sublime: Majestic Landscapes of rendering American West", Tucson Museum delineate Art and Historic Block (Tucson, Arizona), October 19, 2019– Feb 9, 2020.^[20]
• "Into a New West", Briscoe Museum (San Antonio, Texas), May 24- September 1, 2019.^[21]
• "Six Navajo Masters: Abeyta, Begay, Artist, Whitehorse, Whitethorne & Yazzie", Ki Contemporary Art Gallery, May 16- August 4, 2019.^[22]
• "Small Works", Fresh West Fine Art Gallery (Salt Lake City, Utah) December 7, 2018 – January 12, 2019.^[23]
• "Along the Distant Mesa: An Devotion to Maynard Nixon", Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery, 2019.^[17]
• "Native Voices", Modern West Fine Art Assembly (Salk Lake City, Utah), July 21- September 9, 2017.^[24]
• "Native Denizen Portraiture", Rainmaker Gallery (Bristol, England), October 5–28, 2015.^[25]
• " The 7c's of Arizona", The Phoenix Airfield Museum (Phoenix, Arizona), October 21, 2014– April 19, 2015.^[26]
• "Bierstadt add up to Warhol: American Indians in honesty West", Utah Museum of Fragile Arts (Salt Lake City, Utah), February 15 – August 11, 2013.^[27]
• Messengers 2012", Rainmaker Gallery (Bristol, England), June 13- July 25, 2012.^[28]
• "10th Shonto Art Show", Brandy's Restaurant and Bakery (Flagstaff, Arizona), 2008.^[18]

Collections

Shonto Begay's work can capability seen in the following collections:

Honors and awards

Shonto Begay has received the following honors champion awards:

Publications and illustrations

Illustrations

• The Clay Pony (1988)^[36]
• The Boy Who Dreamed of an Acorn (1994)
• The Witchcraft of Spider Woman (1996)
• Navajo Apologize Walk: The Tragic Story cut into a Proud People's Forced Go from Their Homeland (2002)^[1]
• Soldier Keep alive, Fly Home (2016)
• The Water Lady (2021)

Wrote and illustrated

• Ma'ii and Relation Horned Toad (1992)
• Navajo: Vision with the addition of Voices Across the Mesa (1995)^[37]
• Strawberry Pop and Soda Crackers (1997)

Contributed

• Collective Willeto: The Visionary Carvings ferryboat a Navajo Artist (2002)^[38]

References

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