Maria martinez famous works

Artist

born San Ildefonso Pueblo, NM 1886-died San Ildefonso Pueblo, NM 1980

Biography

Although Julian Martinez (San Ildefonso Pueblo) created many paintings on paper, he is best known for his collaborations with his wife, the potter Maria Martinez (San Ildefonso Pueblo). Maria formed and polished the elegant vessels and Julian applied the painted decoration. Although they occasionally created vessels with colored designs, the couple gained an international reputation for their wok with matte black decorations on polished black surfaces.

In part, the national popularity of their pottery can be attributed to the ease with which the smooth, geometric shapes matched the art deco style of design of the 1930s and 1940s, or as Maria simply put it: "Black goes with everyth

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Maria Martinez

Native American potter (ca. 1887–1980)

For other people named Maria Martinez, see Maria Martinez (disambiguation).

Maria Poveka Montoya Martinez (c. 1887 – July 20, 1980) was a Puebloan artist who created internationally known pottery.^[1][2] Martinez (born Maria Poveka Montoya), her husband Julian, and other family members, including her son Popovi Da, examined traditional Pueblo pottery styles and techniques to create pieces which reflect the Pueblo people's legacy of fine artwork and crafts. The works of Maria Martinez, and especially her black ware pottery, are in the collections of many museums, including the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, and more. The Penn Museum in Philadelphia holds eight vessels – three plates and five jars – signed either "Marie" or "Marie & Julian".^[3]

Maria Martinez was from the San Ildefonso Pueblo, a community located 20 miles northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico. At an early age, she learned pottery skills from her aunt^[4] and recalls t

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The Art, Life, and Legacy of Maria Martinez

In the American Southwest, only arbitrary criteria separate “antiquities” from the thriving traditions of contemporary Indian art. Unlike in other areas of the world where sociopolitical and technological changes have caused a disconnection between the art of ancestral generations and that which is being created today, southwestern artistic traditions that emerged a thousand years ago continue to evolve. Yet due to a number of factors, including the introduction of manufactured goods and the development of tourism, Pueblo pottery is an art form that was very nearly lost a hundred years ago. Today, thanks in part to the foresight of a small group of scientists and art collectors and a few outstanding potters, Pueblo-Indian pottery is a thriving tradition that supports artists and families throughout the Native communities of New Mexico and Arizona.

Fig. 1: Location map of San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico. Courtesy of Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

 

The story of the acceptance of