Robert Chee, also known as Hashke-Yil-Cale (1937–1971) was a
Navajo
The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States.
With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...
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 ...
and
serigraphy
Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open me ...
, 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
The Intermountain Indian School (1950–1984) was a Native American boarding school in Brigham City, Utah.
History
This was originally the site of Bushnell Army Hospital. It operated from 1942 to 1946 and served wounded soldiers of World W ...
, where he studied under
Allan Houser
Allan Capron Houser or Haozous (June 30, 1914 – August 22, 1994) was a Chiricahua Apache sculptor, painter and book illustrator born in Oklahoma. 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 service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
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 (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. 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
Philbrook Museum of Art is an art museum with expansive formal gardens located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The museum, which opened in 1939, is located in a former 1920s villa, "Villa Philbrook", the home of Oklahoma oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his ...
).
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 State ...
,
Museum of Northern Arizona
The Museum of Northern Arizona is a museum in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States, that was established as a repository for Indigenous material and natural history specimens from the Colorado Plateau.
The museum was founded in 1928 by zoologist ...
,
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is an art museum on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma.
Overview
The University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art holds over 20,000 objects in its permanent collection. The museum c ...
,
Arizona State Museum
The Arizona State Museum (ASM), founded in 1893, was originally a repository for the collection and protection of archaeological resources. Today, however, ASM stores artifacts, exhibits them and provides education and research opportunities. It ...
,
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art
The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art ("The Johnson Museum") is an art museum located on the northwest corner of the Arts Quad on the main campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its collection includes two windows from Frank Lloyd W ...
, the Penticton Gallery, and the
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers.
The museum has three ...
.
See also
*
List of Native American artists
This is a list of visual artists who are Native Americans in the United States. The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 defines "Native American" as being enrolled in either federally recognized tribes or state recognized tribes or "an individual ...