(1897-1943)
Julian Martinez, also known as Pocano, was born in 1879 and is of San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico. He is best known for his collaborations with his wife, the potter Maria Martinez, who formed and polished elegant vessels of which Julian applied the painted decoration. The couple is recognized for their work with matte black decorations on polished black surfaces. Maria and Julian were instrumental in reviving the San Ildefonso and Santa Clara blackware pottery traditions. Martinez was part of an art movement called the San Idlefonso Self Taught Group that included such noted artists as Tonita Pena, Alfonso Roybal and Encarnacion Pena. As an easel painter, Martinez painted Pueblo rituals and abstract designs with colored pencil and watercolor, and often featured Western figurative types against black background. He also is known for his painted murals at the former Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.