Julián Martínez, also known as Pocano (1879–1943), was a San Ildefonso Pueblo potter,[1] painter, and the patriarch of a family of Native American ceramic artists in the United States.
Julián Martínez | |
|---|---|
 Julian Martinez in 1920 | |
| Born | Pocano 1879 |
| Died | 1943 |
| Nationality | San Ildefonso Pueblo |
| Education | community |
| Known for | Ceramics, Painting |
| Movement | San Ildefonso Self-Taught Group |
| Spouse | Maria Martinez |
| Children | Popovi Da |
| Elected | Governor of San Ildefonso Pueblo |
| Patron(s) | School for Advanced Research |
Background edit
Martínez was born in 1879 in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico.[2] His name, Pocano, means "Coming of the Spirits" in Tewa. He worked as a farmer, general laborer, and janitor, in addition to being an artist. He was elected governor of San Ildefonso.[3]
Martínez married matriarch potter Maria Martinez, and together they had a son Popovi Da, who was also a potter.[4] Maria is considered the preeminent creator of San Ildefonso blackware pottery; however Julian contributed to her accomplishments. Their son Popovi Da continued innovating Pueblo ceramic arts; his work has been widely exhibited and collected.[5]
Martinez died on March 6, 1943, in San Ildefonso Pueblo.[4]
Work edit
The Martinez family was instrumental in reviving the San Ildefonso and creating the San Ildefonso black-on-black, matte-on-shiny pottery technique. The Martínez family is credited for inventing a technique that would allow for areas of the pottery to have a matte finish and other areas to be a glossy jet black.[6]
Martínez, with help from anthropologist, Edgar Lee Hewett researched historical designs and reproduced them on the pottery, later modifying classical Pueblo designs to create his own.[citation needed]
Martínez was also an easel painter.[1] He painted scenes of Pueblo rituals as well as abstract designs with colored pencil and watercolor, and featured Western figurative types against blank backgrounds.[7] He painted murals at the former Santa Fe Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.[3]
Martínez was part of an art movement called the San Ildefonso Self-Taught Group, which included such noted artists as Alfonso Roybal, Tonita Peña, Abel Sanchez (Oqwa Pi), Crecencio Martinez, and Encarnación Peña.[8]
Public collections edit
The artwork of Maria and Julian Martinez can be found in the following public collections.
- American Museum of Natural History, New York
- Amerind Foundation, Dragoon, Arizona
- Amon Carter Museum of Art, Fort Worth, Texas
- Arizona State Museum, Tucson
- Cincinnati Art Museum, Ohio
- Cleveland Museum of Fine Arts, Ohio
- Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Ohio
- Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
- Denver Art Museum, Colorado
- Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Norman, Oklahoma
- Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska
- Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas
- Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, New Mexico
- Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, New Jersey
- Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota
- Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe
- Museum of Northern Arizona, Katherine Harvey Collection, Flagstaff
- National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, New York
- National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C.
- Newark Museum, Newark, NJ
- Owensboro Museum of Fine Arts, Owensboro, Kentucky
- Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Riverside Museum, New York
- School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
- Southwest Museum of the American Indian, Los Angeles
- University of Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia
- Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, New Mexico
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Julian Martinez." Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
- ^ Berlo, Janet C.; Phillips, Ruth B. (1998). Native North American Art. Oxford University Press. p. 217.
- ^ a b Lester 344
- ^ a b Lester 343
- ^ King, Charles S. (2017). Spoken Through Clay: Native Pottery of the Southwest. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press. pp. 120–123. ISBN 9780890136249.
- ^ Sublette, Mark J. "Maria Martinez and San Ildefonso Pottery." Medicine Man Gallery. Retrieved 11/13/07.
- ^ Julian Martinez. Retrieved 11/7/07.
- ^ Wander, Robin (February 22, 2012). "Highlights from Stanford's Native American paintings collection are showcased in Memory and Markets: Pueblo Painting in the Early 20th Century". Stanford News. Stanford University, Cantor Art Center. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
Notes edit
- Lester, Patrick D. The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters. Tulsa, OK: SIR Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-8061-9936-9.
- Crawford, Virginia. "American Indian Painting." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 69, no. 1 (1982): 3–17.
External links edit
- Julian Martinez art, National Museum of the American Indian
- Julian Martinez art, Smithsonian American Art Museum