Towards the end of the nineteenth century, pots were used by the Pueblos in everyday life. Cooking food, storage, and ceremonies were all common uses for these handcrafted bowls. Martinez learned the practice of ceramics at a young age from her aunt, Nicolosa Montoya, and continued to master the traditional skill of pottery as she grew up in the San Ildefonso community.¹ For generations, potters in the Pueblo communities adopted the practice of pottery and utilized the similar styles in their designs. However, these practices began to decline at the turn of the century.
Fig. 1. Portrait of Edgar Lee Hewett, New Mexico Museum of Art
All of this changed in 1908 when the director of the Museum of New Mexico, Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett (Fig. 1), conducted archaeological excavations in ancient pueblo sites such as Pajarito Plateau. Familiar with Martinez’s work and reputation, Dr. Hewett asked the prominent potter to create replicas of the prehistoric findings. As Maria’s husband, Julian Martinez, worked on the excavation, and as it was custom in Pueblo tradition for the men to do the painting, it made sense for the couple to work together.
Fig. 2. Maria Martinez and Julian Martinez, Jar (Olla) with Feathers and Avanyu, 1930-1943, blackware. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Significantly influenced by the prehistoric examples they had seen in Dr. Hewett’s findings, Julian and Maria began an artistic partnership that would last them throughout their lives. With their discovery of their notable black-on-black technique, Maria’s work elevated pueblo tradition into the modern world. Additionally, as he was present for the excavations, Julian’s designs show a clear influence from ancient Puebloan imagery. Dr. Hewett details such symbolism in his own studies, noting the significance that clouds, or okhuwa, and avanyu, mythological water serpents that lived in the clouds, had in everyday life.² Julian’s own work suggested he was fond of avanyu symbolism, since they are seen often in Maria’s pieces (Fig. 2).
Fig. 3. Maria Martinez and Julian Martinez, Feather Bowl, 1948, blackware. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.
Though these symbols were often painted in ancient pottery, Dr. Hewett further notes their cultural significances, as he describes deceased tribesman being honored with white paint that represented clouds on their foreheads, along with tied feathers in their hair that represented the fleeting body.³ Julian Martinez’s designs often show feathers, as well (Fig. 3). For example, the Pot (Fig. 4) at the University of Michigan Museum of Art features a modification of the Mimbres feather pattern. Here, Julian’s design takes Puebloan visual tradition and updates it with a shiny, jet-black appearance. Maria’s modern style is additionally shown in her sleek approach to form and lustrous treatment of the surface. The way she has attentively burnished the pot is evident through its smooth surface and absence of tool marks.4 Encompassing Martinez’s elegant, matte black vessel, Julian’s feather designs appropriate Puebloan ancient symbols in a new, modern combination.
Fig. 4. Maria Martinez and Julian Martinez, Pot, 1920-1930, blackware. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor
Endnotes
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Wertkin, Gerard C. “Maria Martinez.” Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. Florence, UNITED STATES: Routledge, 2003. 352
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Hewett, Edgar L. The Pueblo Indian World;Studies on the Natural History of the Rio Grande Valley in Relation to Pueblo Indian Culture,. Albuquerque, 1945. 29
- Hewett, The Pueblo Indian World. 29
- Wertkin, “Maria Martinez.” 352
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