Fine Art Tuesday

 

Charles Marion Russell was born in Missouri in 1864 and died in 1926. He produced an astounding 2000 cataloged works during his lifetime.

Even though many of his paintings seem "starved" for detail it is part of his technique for producing the dusty, barren feel of the desert in his paintings, that is, a thin (fast drying) wash of paint. The nubbly texture of the canvas adds a washed-out coarseness that simulates the cobble of the wind-scoured ground.

For example, from the picture above we have

Russell was also notable for his sympathetic but not overly romantic portrayal of Native Americans.

In his spare time, he also did sculpture.

Russell was blessed to live in a time that adored his work. Cowboy novels sold for a nickel or a dime each, Wild West Circus shows toured the east, and Teddy Roosevelt, the icon of a sickly eastern dude who had gone west and returned as a virile man, had done much to bring "The West" into the awareness of the average American.

A tip of the hat to the erudite 10x25mm for suggesting this artist.