Witnessing History

Collector's Focus: Painting the Old West

Art tells a story. It’s often right there in the paint or sculpture: a cowboy chases down a loose calf, a Native American chief admires a hunting party returning to camp, pioneers look into the setting sun as they drive wagons across the plains. These are the surface-level stories of a work of art.

And yet, the stories go deeper. Some go deep into the life of the artist. This is the context that is the foundation of the work. Who is the artist? What are their experiences? Why did they choose to create this work of art with these subjects? The answers add more layers to the story.

Edward Borein (1872-1945), Cowboy Chasing Steer, watercolor on paper, 7½ x 10 in.

Consider Edward Borein, the famous painter of early working cowboys. Borein was born in California in 1872, which makes him one of the earliest Western-born artists within all of Western art. He was raised in San Leandro, a cow town in the Bay Area. He became a cowboy himself at a young age and he worked cattle all around the Southwest and into Mexico. As he developed a reputation as a talented artist, Borein had to eventually decide between cowboyin’ and art. He chose art, which led him to Charles M. Russell and Theodore Roosevelt. Today, his works are treasured in collections around the country. His works speak for themselves, and yet they also say so much more. They were created by someone who knew the lifestyle and respected it. That closeness to his subject adds a dimension to his work.

George Catlin (1796-1872), View in the Grand Detour, 1900 Miles above St. Louis, 1832, oil on canvas, 111/8 x 143⁄8 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison Jr., 1985.66.372.

Another artist who depicted the Old West as he was witnessing it was George Catlin, whose images are some of the earliest depictions of Native Americans and their customs. Catlin took five trips into the West between 1830 and 1836, so his works were created from firsthand experience. Photography was still in its infancy in the 1830s, and no cameras were on his exploratory trips, so his paintings are incredible documents from the American Frontier.

While Catlin was using St. Louis as a base of operations, German-American painter Emanuel Leutze was based in New York City and Washington, D.C. He didn’t have the real-world experience as that of Catlin or Borein, but he brought his own history and unique painting style to his work. It’s reflected in many of his masterpieces, including Washington Crossing the Delaware and Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way.

Legacy Gallery, Vigilant, oil, 40 x 30 in., by Tom Browning.

While these artists were depicting what we now call the Old West, at the time, there was little that was “old” about it. It was happening at that time, or had happened only years earlier.

Today, as artists continue to highlight works from the Old West, they too are inspired by history, but also their own experiences that add context and layers to their paintings. The works may be about the past, but there is a freshness to the works and their interpretations. Continue reading to learn more about these artists.

A self-proclaimed oil painting addict, Bonnie Conrad relishes in the freedom to apply strokes with calculated abandon. “I find intrigue in the play of light as it dances through a painting, and there is satisfaction in weaving a harmony of delicious color as well…There is a thrill in being able to bring something to life on a two-dimensional surface,” she says. Most of Conrad’s paintings depict outdoor scenes in strong sunlight. “I want the viewer to hear the drumbeat and feel the excitement radiating from a dancing Indian child, to relive a tender moment between a mother and daughter, or to taste the dust and feel the sun as they view a cowboy trailin’ a herd.”

Clockwise from top left: Emanuel Leutze (1816-1868), Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way (mural study), 1861, oil on canvas, 33¼ x 433⁄8 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Bequest of Sara Carr Upton, 1931.6.1; Medicine Man Gallery, Alta California Ranchero, oil on canvas, 72 x 48 in., Dennis Ziemienski; Legacy Gallery, Greeting the Camp, oil, 26 x 40 in., by Chad Poppleton.

Represented by Legacy Gallery, C. Michael Dudash, Tom Browning and Chad Poppleton are all modern greats in the Western art genre. Their masterful grasp on their subject matter make them each highly sought-after.

“I often create scenarios where the characters that inhabit my painting[s] are situated in an environment of seemingly endless space. These three fellows might be searching for something, or maybe they’re just wondering ‘now which way do we go.’ No matter, because to me it looks like they’re a million acres from nowhere!” Dudash says of his oil A Million Acres From Nowhere.

Browning began drawing horses, wildlife and Native Americans at age 7, and after five decades of painting and studying the work of Charlie Russell, James Reynolds and Haddon Sundblom, Browning never tires of finding exciting ways to express this subject matter with the colorful and fluid brushwork that distinguish his place in the Western art market.

Top: Bonnie Conrad, Borrowed Trouble, oil, 18 x 24 in. Bottom: Legacy Gallery, A Million Acres From Nowhere, oil, 42 x 40 in., by C. Michael Dudash; Medicine Man Gallery, Echoes of Gold, oil on linen, 24 x 20 in., by Mathieu Nozieres.

Poppleton, a resident of Cache Valley, Utah, has been passionate about art and the outdoors for as long as he can remember. His interest began while on the farm and ranch with his father and grandfather working with animals understanding their attitudes and behaviors. Poppleton’s father, also an artist, taught him how to draw and look at things with an artist’s eye.

Other exceptional contemporary artists who interpret the Old West in their works include Eric Bowman, Mathieu Nozieres and Dennis Ziemienski, each represented by Medicine Man Gallery. Bowman’s portrait Grandfather’s Rifle of a Native American man holding a firearm, communicates a complex history, emphasizing the cultural exchange that took place and the multigenerational nature of these symbols of the Old West. In Nozieres’ painting Echoes of Gold, the interplay of light and shadow, the cinematic perspective and the iconic architecture of the Old West all point toward Nozieres’ appreciation of the Old West and the cultural mythology of the cowboy. Finally, Ziemienski’s The Ranchero draws inspiration from Spanish Alta California ranchers in the early 1800s, and depicts a man on horseback with California hills in the background. The 6-foot-tall painting utilizes all of this space to depict era-accurate clothing for both horse and rider.

Medicine Man Gallery, Grandfather’s Rifle, oil on linen board, 24 x 20 in., by Eric Bowman; Den Schofield, The Ranger, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 in.

“These paintings are all excellent examples of tasteful representation of the Old West. When it comes to collecting works in this genre, be aware of the cultural implications of what’s being shown. Representing these elements thoughtfully and respectfully is just as important as their broader aesthetic appeal,” says Patrick Travers, director of Medicine Man Gallery.

Artist Den Schofield has made a name for himself in the genre of Western illustration. Since he was a child, Schofield has “dreamed of creating pictures depicting dramatic characters and events set against the great outdoors.” He strives to depict his subject matter as historically accurate as possible and has honed his knowledge of the history of the Western frontier, having also traveled extensively throughout the plains, mountains and deserts of the American West. —