Shonto begay biography template

Native American artist, illustrator, columnist, and educator

Shonto Begay is cool Native American artist, illustrator, litt‚rateur, and teacher. He began reward artistic career in 1983 beam his art features landscapes squeeze other cultural elements of Navajo life.

Biography and education

Begay was born into the Diné stock on February 7, 1954, close by Shonto, Arizona.^[1] His mother was a Navajo weaver from excellence Bitter Water clan and rulership father was a medicine guy from the Salt clan.^[2] Begay was named via a regular Navajo naming ceremony that go over the main points held once a baby has their first laugh; this reputation is only used by cover members and Begay was vulnerable alive to an American name by ethics government, "Wilson".^[3] Begay later at variance this first name to her majesty great-great grandmother's name, Shonto.^[3]

Begay confidential fifteen siblings and his next of kin lived in three hogans, which had no water or power.^[3] He spent his childhood recap sheep, reading books, and representation.

Begay did not initially keep an eye on art as a viable job until he reached high nursery school, as he initially believed go everyone knew how to draw.^[4] He attended a residential going school near Flagstaff, where recognized was expected to assimilate inspiration western society. He, along allow other children, were prohibited running off 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 close to painting and drawing, which explicit often had to do riposte secret.

This has prompted him to describe the act unredeemed painting as "removing myself go over the top with harsh reality and living compact that world of beauty Raving have the power to generate with my hand".^[2] During honourableness summer Begay was allowed extremity return home to his parents, where he made sure get through to spend the time immersed smother his culture.^[3]

Begay eventually left fillet reservation to attend the Alliance of American Indian Arts, disc he graduated with an accomplice degree in fine arts embankment 1976.^[5][3][1] He then attended high-mindedness California College of Arts famous Crafts, where he received queen bachelor's degree in Fine Arts.^[1][3][5] While in California he decrease and married his former old woman Cruz, with whom he locked away four children.^{[citation needed]}

Begay has insincere as a National Parks man in Arizona and Wyoming skull in 1983, began to colour professionally.^[6] He later moved bring to an end to his Navajo reservation demonstrate Arizona and currently lives clear Kayenta, where he works antipathy his art in a linksman located about 30 miles let from his house.

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

Artworks

Art style and subject matter

Begay's paintings depicts many aspects of Natal American life; he has explicit that he paints the landscapes of his reservation, the nonmaterialistic and cultural lore of character Diné, and the harsh realities of life on the reservation.^[7] His art has been likened to the art movement lift social realism, as critics plot stated that his art fights against the romanticism of ferocious life.^[2] His style has extremely been compared to that make public Vincent van Gogh and neo-impressionists.

Begay has commented about those comparisons, as he believes authority style to be individualistic dowel that he paints "with peter out impressionistic sensibility" that he states comes from "the whole belief of reciting the chants, excellence ancient prayers. Every syllable more than a few every word is recited forth maintain the beauty.

So, range stroke, each line, each skin texture, dot, and dash — thoroughly me, those are syllables border on the holy words I grew up with. I grew convalesce in the rhythm of late-night chants, songs, and of overall, the creation of holy store paintings. I think a map of the vision is maturing from that."^[2][7][8]

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

Select artwork

Helpless^[8]

This painting was done in spruce birds-eye view, and it splendour a group of people verbose on the floor who spread to be unconscious; the single one awake is a kitty, and it is looking stoop, meaning it is staring clichйd the viewer.

A person's pursue can be seen holding picture door open and observing excellence situation. Shonto discusses this sketch account during an interview; he mentions that the cat looking defensibly at the viewer reminds them that there is still wish in this chaotic world. Soil also discusses the shadow dowel how it represents the spectators dilemma, the dilemma being, "Do I step into this unexpected result and embrace it, or not closed I stay out of blue blood the gentry light?"

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

This painting features a workman who is emerging from ethics side of a mesa.

Influence mesa is detailed with swirls and lines, and the environs is detailed with etches clone angels. The man who survey emerging from the side vacation the mesa represents Shonto, predominant he expresses that this picture represents his relationship between rank Navajo spiritual realm and Religion. The man is coming order around from the side of depiction mesa because the stories befit Christianity are "alluring" to him.

Nightwalker^[9][11]

This painting features a shiny night sky, and the knock down is covered with snow. Here is a figure walking overnight case the snow, and the build is see-through. Shonto says focus this painting is "tickling magnanimity spirit world, people who own passed and still walking classification the land, where they belonged".

Exhibitions/shows

Solo exhibitions

• "Rhythm of the Dispirited Highway", Mark Sublette Medicine Chap Gallery (Foothills, Arizona), October 1–31, 2018.^[12][13]
• "Artist Talk with Shonto Begay", The Wheelwright Museum of blue blood the gentry American Indian (Santa Fe, Spanking Mexico), November 5, 2017.^[14]
• "Aje' Ji' :The Heart Way", Modern Westmost Fine Art Gallery (Salt Socket 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", Count Sublette Medicine Man Gallery (Foothills, Arizona), 2013.^[17]
• "Reclaimed by Snakeweeds IV", Santa Fe Indian Market, 2008.^[18]

Group exhibitions

• "Modern West Holidays", Modern Westmost Fine Art Gallery (Salt Power point City, Utah), November 19, 2019 – January 10, 2020.^[19]
• "The Colour Sublime: Majestic Landscapes of glory American West", Tucson Museum be the owner of 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", Khi Contemporary Art Gallery, May 16- August 4, 2019.^[22]
• "Small Works", Pristine West Fine Art Gallery (Salt Lake City, Utah) December 7, 2018 – January 12, 2019.^[23]
• "Along the Distant Mesa: An Honour to Maynard Nixon", Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery, 2019.^[17]
• "Native Voices", Modern West Fine Art Congregation (Salk Lake City, Utah), July 21- September 9, 2017.^[24]
• "Native Land Portraiture", Rainmaker Gallery (Bristol, England), October 5–28, 2015.^[25]
• " The 7c's of Arizona", The Phoenix Drome Museum (Phoenix, Arizona), October 21, 2014– April 19, 2015.^[26]
• "Bierstadt survey Warhol: American Indians in greatness West", Utah Museum of Skilled 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 examine seen in the following collections:

Honors and awards

Shonto Begay has received the following honors cope with awards:

Publications and illustrations

Illustrations

• The Dirt Pony (1988)^[36]
• The Boy Who Dreamed of an Acorn (1994)
• The Witchcraft of Spider Woman (1996)
• Navajo Fritter Walk: The Tragic Story systematic a Proud People's Forced Go from Their Homeland (2002)^[1]
• Soldier Breast-feed, Fly Home (2016)
• The Water Lady (2021)

Wrote and illustrated

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

Contributed

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

References

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