Artwork
Three Navaho Indians
Three Navaho Indians is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist George Catlin. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1865, *Three Navaho Indians* is an oil painting on card that has been mounted on paperboard. The work shows three Native figures standing in an open field beneath a clear sky, each rendered with careful attention to clothing, hair, and ornamentation.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a white‑robed individual on the left, while the two figures beside him are unclothed above the waist, wearing traditional loincloths. All three have long hair and are decorated with jewelry and feathered accessories, suggesting a respectful portrayal of personal identity and cultural attire.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil, the painting employs a restrained palette of earth tones and subtle gradations of light to model form. The artist’s handling of texture—particularly in the fabrics and ornaments—reflects a straightforward, descriptive approach typical of American folk portraiture of the mid‑nineteenth century.
History & Provenance
The work was produced by George Catlin, a former lawyer who turned to painting after extensive travels among Plains peoples in the 1830s. Although best known for his depictions of Plains tribes, this piece extends his documentary interest to the Navajo, adding to his extensive visual record of Indigenous life.
Context
Created during a period of intense westward expansion, the painting aligns with a broader movement among American artists to record the appearance and customs of Native peoples before they were altered by contact with Euro‑American settlement. Its folk‑art sensibility underscores a desire for clear, factual representation rather than romanticized idealization.
Artist & collection
Artist
George Catlin ( KAT-lin; July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the American frontier.
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