Robert Chee, also known as Hashke-Yil-Cale (1937–1971)
was a
Navajo
The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Southwestern United States.
With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest fe ...
contemporary artist and author. He is best known for his
painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
and
serigraphy, but he also worked as an
illustrator
An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...
, and weaver.
Early life and education
Robert Chee was born on December 14, 1937, in
St. Michaels, Arizona
St. Michaels ( nv, ) is a chapter of the Navajo Nation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The Navajo Nation Government Campus is located within the chapter at Window Rock.
The population was 1,443 at t ...
.
In early age, he attended school in
Bellemont.
His artistic talent was recognized in childhood, he started painting at age 10.
Chee was enrolled in the
Intermountain Indian School, where he studied under
Allan Houser.
He had been a member of Tewa Enterprises (around 1951), the Native American printmaking group.
Career
From 1958 to 1961, Chee served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
and painted murals at army bases including one in
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
.
In 1959 and 1960, Chee won first prize at the Navajo Tribal Fair,
and the Gallup Ceremonials in 1966.
In 1963, Chee won first prize at the Philbrook Art Center (now known as the
Philbrook Museum of Art).
Chee's favorite medium to work in was watercolor,
and he often used darker-colored paper (typically black or blue papers) as a background.
He was known for his distinct
flatstyle painting, which was in part a reflection of the earlier "studio-style" of painting taught at
Dorothy Dunn's art classes in the
Santa Fe Indian School's Studio School.
His later work shows the suggestion of a foreground with hills or the sprigs of plants coming from the earth.
In 1969, Chee started using lighter colored paper (grey or white papers), which changed the feeling of many of his works.
Death and legacy
Chee died in late 1971.
His work can be found in public museum collections including the
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the largest art museums in the United Stat ...
,
Museum of Northern Arizona,
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art,
Arizona State Museum,
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, the Penticton Gallery, and the
National Museum of the American Indian.
See also
*
List of Native American artists
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chee, Robert
1937 births
1972 deaths
Navajo painters
20th-century American painters
20th-century American artists
20th-century Native American artists
Native American people from Arizona
Native American printmakers