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An Introduction to Western Art

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TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
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aka The Gipper

Joined: 10 June 2003
Location: Chinook Montana
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    Posted: 31 March 2009 at 08:29

i believe that there are four artists who do more to show the spirit of the west than any other - check them out:

  • george catlin
  • carl bodmer
  • alfred jacob miller
  • charles m. russell

i would recommend that they be perused in the order given; catlin and bodmer do an outstanding job of portraying the plains indian culture before and right at the moment of contract with "euro-american" cultures. miller is also good for this but i would say that the contact is a bit more advanced. these first three artists visited the plains in the 1830s. catlin (american) and bodmer (swiss) went up the missouri river into the dakotas and bodmer even went into montana.

it is fascinating because i have spent my life in the areas that they visited and it is interesting to compare the landscapes then with the landscapes now. the differences are astounding, but the similarities prove the rule that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

catlin's portrayal of the mandan culture is colorful and emotional, while bodmer's portrayal of life and landscapes on the missouri (including but not limited to the mandans) is masterful. very interesting is that in mandan country, both artists depicted many of the same subjects, including a chief named four bears (mato tope). comparing the two works of the same chief is quite an experience.

miller (english/scot) explored the area a bit farther south in wyoming and his painting show the indian culture but also interaction with the trappers and traders of the fur trade period. i believe that his paintings are the most "romantic," showing a distinct flair that evokes grand images in a style that reminds me of a melding between american landscapes and peoples with i am guessing very european styles.

russell is to me one of the most interesting of all. his very realistic paintings cover the entire span of the history of the american west, including images that would also have been "historical" in his time. they also include scenes from times when contact with whites was common; indeed, his work can be divided almost equally into three categories: cowboys, indians and wildlife. very colorful, very well-researched and very full of details if one looks at them.

there are many other artists; one that immediately comes to mind is frederic remington, but also lesser-knowns such as o.c. seltzer, earl heikka, julius seyler, john fery, joe de yong and henry farney.

TasunkaWitko - Chinook, Montana

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote big open Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 August 2009 at 09:18
From what I have read,,Remington never left N.Y. or where ever it was he lived,,,,But Russell was  another thing all together!!!,,I understand his painting "Roar of a .45" was the inspiration for the scene in SHANE where Stonewall is shot down in the mud in front of Grafton's by Jack Wilson,,,,,,THAT LOW-DOWN YANKEE LIAR!!!!!!........

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