Untitled (Taking Down a Finished Rug) is an excellent example of the problematic Studio Style of Native American painting taught by non-Native art teacher Dorothy Dunn at the Santa Fe Indian School in the 1930s. Harrison Begay (Diné/Navajo) was one of many Native artists initially trained there as a painter. The Studio Style defined Native painting for a generation and its influence is still felt today. It is characterized by formal and conceptual flatness: blank backgrounds, outlined forms, lack of perspective and shading, and an emphasis on “traditional” themes.
