Untitled Cave Wall Paintings

David Chethlahe Paladin

About The Untitled Cave Wall Paintings

Cave Wall from the Blue World--On the background of a blue cave wall, the story of creation is portrayed.  Spirit figures populate the land with earth creatures, serpent fertility symbols and rain clouds.  Kokopelli contributes to the sound of creation with flute music.  Also portrayed are the celestial bodies associated with the origin of the ancestors.

"The American Indians of prehistoric times left behind a rich heritage of primitive art on the cave walls and cliffs of the Southwestern United States.  These paintings were created by shamans who used pigments made from ash, mineral and plant pollen.

I am familiar with the style and content of this type of painting because I was raised on the Navajo reservation, which abounds with many fine examples of this primitive art form.  I paint from memories gathered as a child, when I spent hours looking at these strange figures from the past.  To me, they became a symbol of the rich cultural heritage left by my ancestors.  I have never felt apart from that ancient world."  David Chethlahe Paladin

About David Chethlahe Paladin

(1926-1984) Painting the Dream: the Visionary Art of Navajo Painter David Chethlahe Paladin was published in 1992 by the artist's widow, Lynda Paladin. This artist credited Marc Chagall, Mark Tobey and Morris Graves as influencing his approach to painting as well as how he treated his subject matter.

The Huichol Indians' work also impacted the appearance of his art. For 2 1/2 years Paladin was a prisoner of war, released finally at Dachau in a near coma state.

In 1975 Newsweek cited him as the nation's "leading Navajo modern artist". The Santa Fean magazine named him Artist of the Year in 1981.

Major exhibitions of his work have taken place at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth (1966), at the Heard Museum (1967, 1975), at the William Penn Memorial Museum in Pittsburgh (1969), at the Albuquerque Museum (1975, 1985), at the American Indian Art Center in New York (1975), at the Navajo Tribal Museum in Window Rock, Arizona (1984), at the San Diego Museum of Man (1985) and at the Museum of Art at the University of Arizona in Tucson (1988).

Other Works By David Chethlahe Paladin:

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Cultures

American Indian, Navajo

Medium

Paintings

Subject

Keywords

David Paladin, Chethlahe Paladin, Paladin painting, Cave Wall Paintings