The Rise of Native American
Flat-Style Painting

Chimayo Trading Staff Report | August 2026

In the early twentieth century, a distinctive way of painting took hold among Native American artists that would come to define much of what collectors and museums still call traditional or “flat-style” Indian art. The approach featured clean outlines, solid areas of color, little or no shading, and often a plain or very shallow background. Figures stood out clearly, whether they were dancers in full regalia, everyday scenes, or ceremonial moments. Three groups of artists, working in different places but connected by shared ideas, played especially important roles in bringing this style to a wider audience.

This week we present a sampling from our collection of Native American antique art. Visit the gallery in Ranchos de Taos, NM or online at chimayotrading.com.

Awa Tsireh (1898-1955), San Ildefonso Pueblo
10.25″ x 13.5″

Awa Tsireh, also known as Alfonso Roybal and Cattail Bird, was one of the first Pueblo painters to receive recognition by the Santa Fe, New Mexico art community. Awa Tsireh was his Tewa Indian name, while Alfonso Roybal was his family name. Awa Tsireh’s success at selling his paintings encouraged other Pueblo artists to adapt their painting and design skills to the medium of watercolor paint on paper. Edgar L. Hewett soon commissioned him to paint Indian ceremonies. This brought him into daily contact at the School of American Research, then a branch of the Museum of New Mexico, where he received a sponsorshipto devote himself to full-time painting.

His watercolors where sent by Alice Corbin Henderson to the Arts Club of Chicago for a special exhibit in 1920. His paintings appeared in early exhibits in Santa Fe, and he was among the several artists to receive prizes at the first Santa Fe Indian Market. In 1925, the Chicago papers were generous in their acclaim for his exhibit in the Newberry Library. The Exposition of Indian Tribal Arts in New York in 1931 included Awa Tsireh paintings. After Awa Tsireh’s work had appeared in major exhibitions of Indian art including the Art Institute in Indianapolis, Awa Tsireh enjoyed a national reputation. He produced decorative paintings of extraordinary precision in India ink, with a brilliant, distinctive palette. His style developed from naive realism to depict genre and dance scenes through more abstract phases featuring landscape “props” and stylized animal forms. Today, his work is held by several museums, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

In Oklahoma, a small circle of Kiowa painters later known as the Kiowa Six began studying under Oscar Jacobson at the University of Oklahoma in the late 1920s. Spencer Asah, James Auchiah, Jack Hokeah, Stephen Mopope, Monroe Tsatoke, and Lois Smoky drew on the narrative power of earlier Plains ledger drawings and hide paintings.

Acee Blue Eagle “Alex McIntosh” (1909–1959), Creek-Pawnee ca.1940s-1950s
17″ x 26″

Acee Blue Eagle received a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1932. Traveling abroad in 1935, he lectured on Indian art at Oxford University in England and afterward toured Europe. Returning home, he accepted a teaching appointment at Bacone College. There he helped to establish the art department and served as its head through 1938. This same year he received national recognition when his work was shown at the Grand Central Art Galleries in New York City. Important collections of Blue Eagle’s work are at the Museum of New Mexico and the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C., just to name a few.

The Kiowa painter’s work focused on ceremonial life and detailed clothing, painted with flat color and strong design. Jacobson helped promote them internationally, and exhibitions in places like Prague and the Venice Biennale introduced their clear, graphic style to new viewers. That Oklahoma approach became one of the foundations of what people soon called the flat style.

Gilbert Atencio “Wah Peen” (1930-1995), San Ildefonso Pueblo 1953
12.25″ x 14.25″

Around the same time in New Mexico, Pueblo painters had already been exploring similar ideas. Artists such as Awa Tsireh (Alfonso Roybal), were creating scenes of pueblo life and ceremony that used the same flat, outlined forms. Their work grew naturally from pottery painting, kiva murals, and rock art traditions.

Pablita Velarde “Tse Tsan” (1918-2006), Santa Clara Pueblo ca.1960s
Gouache/Acrylic
14″ x 10″

Pablita Velarde or Tse Tsan (Tewa for “Golden Dawn”) was one of the first women to be recognized as an American Pueblo painter. Her determination and leadership ushered in a golden era for many talented Native American women of her generation and beyond.

When Dorothy Dunn opened The Studio at the Santa Fe Indian School in 1932, she encouraged her students to continue and refine this approach. Among the many who studied there were Pablita Velarde, Harrison Begay. Dunn emphasized cultural subjects and the flat technique she believed suited Native expression, helping a generation of artists turn that look into a widely recognized style.

Romando Vigil “Tse-Ye-Mu” (1902-1978), San Ildefonso Pueblo 1947
11″ x 7″

Taken together, the Oklahoma School, the early Pueblo painters, and the artists trained at the Santa Fe Indian School gave the flat style its lasting presence. Their paintings of dancers, storytellers, and daily life still feel immediate and clear, and they helped open doors for Native American art in galleries and collections across the country. The style they popularized remains one of the most recognizable visual languages in twentieth-century Native painting.

Archie Blackowl “Aénȯhéévé’hȧtse (Flying Hawk)” (1911–1992), Cheyenne
10.5″ x 8.5″

Narciso Abeyta – Ha-So-De , (1918-1998), Navajo-Diné
40″ x 28″

Narciso Abeyta is the father of renown Navajo-Diné artist Tony Abeyta.

Harrison Begay “Haskay Yahne Yah” (1917-2012), ca.1930-1940, Navajo-DIné
Original Gouache, ca.1930-1940
15” x 13″

If you have enjoyed our newsletters and learning about the artists and artwork we represent, or if you’ve had a good experience visiting our gallery, please take a moment to let us know by leaving a review using the links below.

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#1 Saint Francis Church Plaza
Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557

575.758.0504

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