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Lot Essay
Primarily a self-taught artist, Charles Marion Russell was a keen observer of nature and quickly developed a style of advanced technical skill and a mature handling of color that would ultimately shape his broad and prolific career. As early as 1897, Russell's watercolors demonstrate a transformation as the artist began experimenting with the variant effects of the medium and exploiting the broad tonal range achievable with watercolor.
Executed in 1899, Indian on Horseback is a powerful image composed of a dramatic sweep of the plains with a single figure triumphantly poised atop a hillside in the foreground. The visual impact of Indian on Horseback is further enhanced by the palette employed by Russell. The dress of the figure is rendered with bold saturated bands of red, yellow and blue which provide a contrast to the lighter earth tone washes of purple and ochre that compose the background landscape of grasses and hills.
"The image of a single mounted warrior was a format Russell employed frequently and brilliantly manifested his nostalgic sentiments. Throughout his artistic career, he depicted one or more paintings of a lone warrior from every tribe with which he came in contact." (Charles M. Russell: The Artist in His Heyday, exhibition catalogue, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1995, p. 40)
Through his experiences on the open range and a close bond with Native Americans, Russell was able to create a pure visual testament to the sanctity of the Old West that had largely disappered. "He has shaped the Western myth," concludes Peter Hassrick, "provided its standards, and given birth to its popularity. His legacy is America's treasure." (Charles M. Russell, Norman, Oklahoma, 1999, p. 144)
Executed in 1899, Indian on Horseback is a powerful image composed of a dramatic sweep of the plains with a single figure triumphantly poised atop a hillside in the foreground. The visual impact of Indian on Horseback is further enhanced by the palette employed by Russell. The dress of the figure is rendered with bold saturated bands of red, yellow and blue which provide a contrast to the lighter earth tone washes of purple and ochre that compose the background landscape of grasses and hills.
"The image of a single mounted warrior was a format Russell employed frequently and brilliantly manifested his nostalgic sentiments. Throughout his artistic career, he depicted one or more paintings of a lone warrior from every tribe with which he came in contact." (Charles M. Russell: The Artist in His Heyday, exhibition catalogue, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1995, p. 40)
Through his experiences on the open range and a close bond with Native Americans, Russell was able to create a pure visual testament to the sanctity of the Old West that had largely disappered. "He has shaped the Western myth," concludes Peter Hassrick, "provided its standards, and given birth to its popularity. His legacy is America's treasure." (Charles M. Russell, Norman, Oklahoma, 1999, p. 144)