Western & Contemporary Native American Art

Born in Denver, Colorado, John Nieto was of Mescalero Apache and Hispanic heritage and drew on both as inspiration for his art. Nieto studied at Southern Methodist University and ultimately resided in New Mexico, taking a global approach to his work based on his travels and studies. In Paris, the broad swaths of bright, contrasting colors Nieto saw in the Fauvist painters of the early 20th century both aroused and confirmed his own thoughts about his direction as an artist, while his interest in the philosophies and art of the Far East made their way into his practice. He described his process in spiritual terms, saying, "I'm in a trance when I paint. It's like being a drummer—you don't look at the drums, you just know intuitively where they are.” The coyote is a crucial animal in Native spirituality, a supernatural trickster god. At times an emblem of mischief; at other times he acts as a kind of Indigenous Prometheus, essential to the creation of humankind, and to bringing order and culture to the world. Poised Coyote is classic Nieto, from the fearless combination of colors that give the animal an otherworldly dimensionality to the thick line that surrounds the animal and makes it shimmer. The background, black apart from the coyote’s shadow and the band of deep purple at the top, suggest the role that Coyote plays, as a god, in bringing fire and light to humanity.

-James D. Balestrieri