.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
George Catlin became famous for his early depictions of Native Americans in the wilderness of the West. He was, indeed, the first artist of stature to paint the Indians of the lower Missouri River, in 1830, followed by excursions up the Platt River in 1831, and the Missouri in 1832. He continued to gather images of the West until 1838, ultimately assembling a collection of 600 Indian portraits and sketches. His many later works drew upon his first adventurous years as an artist-explorer.
In addition to his Indian works, throughout his career Catlin also painted the fauna of the wilderness in what he called "sporting scenes," as he does here with his depiction at a watering hole of three moose, one of North America's most majestic animals. (The Gilcrease Foundation, Tulsa, Oklahoma, owns a comparable work entitled Buffaloes, from the same year, 1854) These works and virtually his entire oeuvre are unique depictions of the West, and conceived as such by Catlin, who saw in his travels a chance to capture in his art the vanishing wilderness and its native civilizations. With them, he has built one of the great lasting legacies of Western art.
In addition to his Indian works, throughout his career Catlin also painted the fauna of the wilderness in what he called "sporting scenes," as he does here with his depiction at a watering hole of three moose, one of North America's most majestic animals. (The Gilcrease Foundation, Tulsa, Oklahoma, owns a comparable work entitled Buffaloes, from the same year, 1854) These works and virtually his entire oeuvre are unique depictions of the West, and conceived as such by Catlin, who saw in his travels a chance to capture in his art the vanishing wilderness and its native civilizations. With them, he has built one of the great lasting legacies of Western art.