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.

Background

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's exclusive painting of those jars contributed to her accomplishments. Their son Popovi became a stellar innovator in Pueblo ceramic arts and his collaborative work with Maria is at the height of their collected pottery.[5]

Martinez died on March 6, 1943, in San Ildefonso Pueblo.[4]

Work

The Martinez family was instrumental in reviving the San Ildefonso ceramic arts and creating the San Ildefonso black-on-black, matte-on-polished 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 vignetted 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

The artwork of Maria and Julian Martinez can be found in the following public collections.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Julian Martinez." Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  2. ↑ Berlo, Janet C.; Phillips, Ruth B. (1998). Native North American Art. Oxford University Press. p. 217.
  3. 1 2 Lester 344
  4. 1 2 Lester 343
  5. ↑ King, Charles S. (2017). Spoken Through Clay: Native Pottery of the Southwest. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press. pp. 120–123. ISBN 9780890136249.
  6. ↑ Sublette, Mark J. "Maria Martinez and San Ildefonso Pottery." Medicine Man Gallery. Retrieved 11/13/07.
  7. ↑ Julian Martinez. Retrieved 11/7/07.
  8. ↑ 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

  • 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.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Martinez