Navajo Man

Charlie Willeto, Navajo Man, ca. 1960, house paint on carved pine, 29 ¹⁄₄ x 5 x 4 in. (74.3 x 12.7 x 10.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.96

Artwork Details

Title: Navajo Man
Artist: Charlie Willeto
Date: ca. 1960
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
Luce Foundation Center
/
3rd Floor
/
27A
Dimensions: 29 ¹⁄₄ x 5 x 4 in. (74.3 x 12.7 x 10.2 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums: pine
paint
Mediums Description: house paint on carved pine
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Indian — Navajo
Figure male — full length
Object Number: 1997.124.96
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1997.124.96

Artwork Description

Charlie Willeto carved sculptures from old boards of sun-weathered pine and exchanged them for groceries at a trading post near his home (Charles Rosenak, Folk Art of the People: Navajo Works, 1987). His wife, Elizabeth, helped him paint these figures to show traditional Navajo clothing and jewelry. The simple shapes and muted colors of the figures reflect the bleak environment around his home in Nageezi, New Mexico.