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Lot Essay
Comanche Brave, Fort Reno, Indian Territory is a striking example of Frederic Remington's direct and poignant depiction of Indians and the American West. Composed in a typically dramatic fashion and brought to life with a mastery of line and confident use of color, Comanche Brave characterizes Remington's familiarity with and passion for his subject.
Celebrated as the artist who shaped the popular imagination of the Old West, Remington enjoyed a very successful, albeit brief, artistic career which began in illustration. Remington's formal art training was scant, three semesters at Yale College School of Art in the late 1870s followed by three months at the Art Student's league in 1886. Between these years, Remington decimated his inheritance, trying his hand in the sheep ranching business in central Kansas. Remington's desire to return west and record the passing frontier was satiated with a commission from Harper's Weekly in 1886.
In Comanche Brave, Remington masterfully captures the majestic pose of his subject, sitting confidently on his horse. The dramatic visual impact of Remington's choice to centrally place the figure in the composition is heightened by the artist's economy of line and broad application of bold color.
Comanche Brave, Fort Reno, Indian Territory is a quintessential example of Remington's early oils. Through his accute sense of visual reporting and confident painting technique, Remington created a vision that helped shape the popular imagination of the West.
Celebrated as the artist who shaped the popular imagination of the Old West, Remington enjoyed a very successful, albeit brief, artistic career which began in illustration. Remington's formal art training was scant, three semesters at Yale College School of Art in the late 1870s followed by three months at the Art Student's league in 1886. Between these years, Remington decimated his inheritance, trying his hand in the sheep ranching business in central Kansas. Remington's desire to return west and record the passing frontier was satiated with a commission from Harper's Weekly in 1886.
In Comanche Brave, Remington masterfully captures the majestic pose of his subject, sitting confidently on his horse. The dramatic visual impact of Remington's choice to centrally place the figure in the composition is heightened by the artist's economy of line and broad application of bold color.
Comanche Brave, Fort Reno, Indian Territory is a quintessential example of Remington's early oils. Through his accute sense of visual reporting and confident painting technique, Remington created a vision that helped shape the popular imagination of the West.