Some Navajo textiles cross over in classification from being fine craft into pure art. This textile is clearly in the art category in terms of phenomenal design and artistic impact. At the same time, the blanket incorporates very traditional elements in the design.

We call the period immediately after the Navajo were forced onto Reservations “the Transitional Period” in Navajo weavings. The weavers needed to produce weavings that could be sold on the commercial market through traders, who encouraged them to weave rugs rather than blankets. Bright, aniline dyes and dyed wool were made available to the better weavers. These in turn inspired them to make “eyedazzlers”, textiles that incorporated designs that played off of the juxtaposed colors.

In this blanket, the weaver utilized these techniques within a framework that was at once traditional but also innovative. This textile has borders, a feature that came in with the weaving of rugs, but if you look closely, you will also see a horizontal 5-banded design with the center band being the boldest, a feature seen in traditional serapes. Moreover, the weaver incorporated a moki background, which was made up of thin horizontal black and purple bands. These were an influence from earlier Pueblo and Navajo textiles.

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