Julian Martinez, also known as Pacano, (1879-1943) was a Native American potter

Pottery

Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...

 and the patriarch of the most important family of Native American artisans in the United States. Born on the San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

, Martinez was instrumental in reviving the black San Ildefonso pottery and Santa Clara blackware pottery traditions. Julian researched traditional designs and reproduced them on the pottery, later modifying traditional designs to create his own. His wife Maria Martinez

Maria Martinez

Maria Montoya Martinez was a Native American artist who created internationally known pottery...

 is considered the preeminent creator of San Ildefonso blackware pottery and her name is synonymous with excellence in Indian pottery making. His son Popovi Da continued the tradition of innovation in pottery making, and is considered by many as the most accomplished Native American potter and painter of the 20th century. And Popovi's son Tony is a highly collected painter and potter. Julian's work is displayed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Smithsonian American Art Museum

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art.Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States...

, as well as numerous other museums and galleries around the world.

Martinez is credited for inventing a revolutionary technique that would allow for areas of the pottery to have a matte finish and other areas to be a glossy jet black. Pacano, which means "The Coming of the Spirits" in the Tewa language

Tewa language

Tewa is a Kiowa–Tanoan language spoken by Pueblo people, mostly in the Rio Grande valley in New Mexico north of Santa Fe. The 1980 census counted 1,298 speakers, almost all of whom are bilingual in English...

, was also a painter in his own right. He painted Pueblo

Pueblo people

The Pueblo people are a Native American people in the Southwestern United States. Their traditional economy is based on agriculture and trade. When first encountered by the Spanish in the 16th century, they were living in villages that the Spanish called pueblos, meaning "towns". Of the 21...

rituals and abstract designs with colored pencil and watercolor, and featured Western figurative types against blank backgrounds.