Lot Essay
RELATED WORKS
Iutting Out a Steer, circa 1888, oil on academy board, en grisaille, 18½ x 18 3/8in.
In a Stampede, circa 1888, wood engraving
The Round-Up by Frederic Remington is a striking example of the artist's direct and action-packed paintings of American frontier life. At first glance, the painting appears fairly representative of and consistent with Remington's early work; however, upon closer examination, it offers a far more intriguing story considering its lack of history. Among the finest oils of Remington's early work, The Round-Up has been unknown to Remington scholars until very recently and has surfaced with little documentation. Composed in a typically dramatic fashion and brought to life with a mastery of line and confident use of color, The Round-Up 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 Students league in 1886. Between these years, Remington decimated his inheritance, and nearly lost his wife, 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. Although preventing him from pursing further course work at the Art Students League, this project brought Remington into the world of illustration.
Within a year, Remington's illustrations of the West animated the pages of Harper's Weekly, Outing, Youth's Companion and Century Magazine earning him a handsome yearly salary. "The next year more than seventy Remington drawings and sketches appeared in Harper's weekly. His income was a princely $8,000." (D. McCullough in Frederic Remington: The Masterworks, New York 1988, p. 20) Having caught the eye of Theodore Roosevelt, Remington was personally selected to complete the illustrations for a series of articles on the West to be written by Roosevelt and featured in Century Magazine. Having similarly failed in the cattle ranching business after a devastating and record-breaking blizzard earlier in 1887, Roosevelt viewed this opportunity as a way of recording his experience in an industry which was also nearly wiped out at that time. Choosing Remington, Roosevelt felt that "the artist's somewhat crude, direct images embodied his own image of the strenuous life on the Western frontier." (J.K. Ballinger, Frederic Remington, New York 1989, p. 35) In later years, Roosevelt considered Remington to be the country's greatest living painter. (D. McCullough in Frederick Remington: The Masterworks, 1988, p. 23)
This commission, which propelled Remington to the forefront of the commercial art world, called for a total of eight-three illustrations, not only pen and ink sketches and ink-wash drawings but also several Irisaille paintings. The illustrated articles were featured in Century Magazine over several months in 1888 and were later compiled into a bound book called Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail (New York, 1988). Scholars have remarked on the exceptional quaility of the project overall and suggested it being the reason for Remington's subsequent success. James K. Ballinger writes: "The integration of Remington's illustrations with Roosevelt's text,
especially in the hard-bound volume, is masterful. Picking up the
volume a century later, one is struck by the quality of the imagery and the directness of communication. Lacking photographs, the author
and the artist, who had not met, teamed to deliver a thoroughly authentic experience. This publiction was largely responsible for furthering Remington's career." (Frederic Remington, p. 38)
These sentiments are reiterated in Peggy and Harold Samuel's biography; they write: "Remington's finished illustrations for the Roosevelt book were of a higher order than anything he had done before. A number of pieces were oil paintings, beyond the usual drawings. Remington may have been led into improved quality, despite the tight schedule, because he was challenged by Roosevelt's charisma."(Frederic Remington, p. 93)
Although The Round-Up does not appear in any of the above-mentioned articles or books written by Theodore Roosevelt, there is sufficient stylistic evidence to believe that it was executed while Remington was working on the commission, and that it was either not used, kept by Remington himself, or perhaps presented as a gift to a friend or related business associate. Interestingly, the work stands out as being the only full-color oil painting of the subject, and perhaps it did not translate effectively into black and white illustration. The subject and composition of the painting share too many similarities with those illustrating the Roosevelt text for it not to be related. The work most closely relates to the sketches and oil en grisaille in the article/chapter "The Round-Up," specifically two oils titled Cutting out a Steer and In a Stampede. In a letter dated June 5, 1997, Peter Hassrick writes: "The style of the work, its coloration, the underlying draftsmanship, particularly in the human and horse figures, the pose of the horse and the configuration of the cattle all suggest to me that this painting was done in late 1887 or early 1888. The block signature is likewise representative of his early style."
Despite the numerous affinities between The Round-Up and those illustrating Roosevelt's text, The Round-Up embodies an overall sense of drama, energy, and vitality which is less freely expressed in the illustrations. Arranged entirely in the middleground of the canvas, the dramatic action of the painting takes place on an almost monochromatic ground shaped by various hues of white, grey and blue. With his mouth wide open and his body firmly holding onto the white horse he rides, the cowboy fires a pistol in the air while looking down at his wild and disobedient herd of cattle. Most likely trying to get his herd in line, the cowboy sits confidently and appears completely in control of the difficult task at hand.
Although it is highly responsible for the overall success of the work, the very modern and daring compositon Remington has chosen may not have seemed suitable for straight-forward illustration in the late 1880's. Placing the cowboy on a diagonal looking away from the viewer, cropping the composition on the left hand side, and describing the landscape in mere abstract horizontal bands may have appeared either incomplete or unsuccessful to Remington's audience. However, today, one is more apt to recognize the bold and direct approach Remington chose, in his attempt to focus the attention on the matter at hand and not on superfluous landscape element. Remington's quick, free brushstrokes and cursory formation of the cattle in the backround to the sides further places our attention on the wonderful arrangement of the rearing horse and the group of five or six cattle to their immediate right. The free, spontaneous nature of the picture, despite its carefully arranged compostion, suggests that it was conceived more as a painting than as an illustration.
Although Remington's purpose and intentions for this work may never be determined, it is clear that it is a product of the late 1880s and one which must have been inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's lively and descriptive text. The rich action and drama of The Round-Up was a great achievement for Remington at this point in his career and the overwhelming dynamism within it anticipates the masterworks of Remington's later years.
A letter from Peter Hassrick discussing the painting accompanies the lot.
Iutting Out a Steer, circa 1888, oil on academy board, en grisaille, 18½ x 18 3/8in.
In a Stampede, circa 1888, wood engraving
The Round-Up by Frederic Remington is a striking example of the artist's direct and action-packed paintings of American frontier life. At first glance, the painting appears fairly representative of and consistent with Remington's early work; however, upon closer examination, it offers a far more intriguing story considering its lack of history. Among the finest oils of Remington's early work, The Round-Up has been unknown to Remington scholars until very recently and has surfaced with little documentation. Composed in a typically dramatic fashion and brought to life with a mastery of line and confident use of color, The Round-Up 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 Students league in 1886. Between these years, Remington decimated his inheritance, and nearly lost his wife, 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. Although preventing him from pursing further course work at the Art Students League, this project brought Remington into the world of illustration.
Within a year, Remington's illustrations of the West animated the pages of Harper's Weekly, Outing, Youth's Companion and Century Magazine earning him a handsome yearly salary. "The next year more than seventy Remington drawings and sketches appeared in Harper's weekly. His income was a princely $8,000." (D. McCullough in Frederic Remington: The Masterworks, New York 1988, p. 20) Having caught the eye of Theodore Roosevelt, Remington was personally selected to complete the illustrations for a series of articles on the West to be written by Roosevelt and featured in Century Magazine. Having similarly failed in the cattle ranching business after a devastating and record-breaking blizzard earlier in 1887, Roosevelt viewed this opportunity as a way of recording his experience in an industry which was also nearly wiped out at that time. Choosing Remington, Roosevelt felt that "the artist's somewhat crude, direct images embodied his own image of the strenuous life on the Western frontier." (J.K. Ballinger, Frederic Remington, New York 1989, p. 35) In later years, Roosevelt considered Remington to be the country's greatest living painter. (D. McCullough in Frederick Remington: The Masterworks, 1988, p. 23)
This commission, which propelled Remington to the forefront of the commercial art world, called for a total of eight-three illustrations, not only pen and ink sketches and ink-wash drawings but also several Irisaille paintings. The illustrated articles were featured in Century Magazine over several months in 1888 and were later compiled into a bound book called Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail (New York, 1988). Scholars have remarked on the exceptional quaility of the project overall and suggested it being the reason for Remington's subsequent success. James K. Ballinger writes: "The integration of Remington's illustrations with Roosevelt's text,
especially in the hard-bound volume, is masterful. Picking up the
volume a century later, one is struck by the quality of the imagery and the directness of communication. Lacking photographs, the author
and the artist, who had not met, teamed to deliver a thoroughly authentic experience. This publiction was largely responsible for furthering Remington's career." (Frederic Remington, p. 38)
These sentiments are reiterated in Peggy and Harold Samuel's biography; they write: "Remington's finished illustrations for the Roosevelt book were of a higher order than anything he had done before. A number of pieces were oil paintings, beyond the usual drawings. Remington may have been led into improved quality, despite the tight schedule, because he was challenged by Roosevelt's charisma."(Frederic Remington, p. 93)
Although The Round-Up does not appear in any of the above-mentioned articles or books written by Theodore Roosevelt, there is sufficient stylistic evidence to believe that it was executed while Remington was working on the commission, and that it was either not used, kept by Remington himself, or perhaps presented as a gift to a friend or related business associate. Interestingly, the work stands out as being the only full-color oil painting of the subject, and perhaps it did not translate effectively into black and white illustration. The subject and composition of the painting share too many similarities with those illustrating the Roosevelt text for it not to be related. The work most closely relates to the sketches and oil en grisaille in the article/chapter "The Round-Up," specifically two oils titled Cutting out a Steer and In a Stampede. In a letter dated June 5, 1997, Peter Hassrick writes: "The style of the work, its coloration, the underlying draftsmanship, particularly in the human and horse figures, the pose of the horse and the configuration of the cattle all suggest to me that this painting was done in late 1887 or early 1888. The block signature is likewise representative of his early style."
Despite the numerous affinities between The Round-Up and those illustrating Roosevelt's text, The Round-Up embodies an overall sense of drama, energy, and vitality which is less freely expressed in the illustrations. Arranged entirely in the middleground of the canvas, the dramatic action of the painting takes place on an almost monochromatic ground shaped by various hues of white, grey and blue. With his mouth wide open and his body firmly holding onto the white horse he rides, the cowboy fires a pistol in the air while looking down at his wild and disobedient herd of cattle. Most likely trying to get his herd in line, the cowboy sits confidently and appears completely in control of the difficult task at hand.
Although it is highly responsible for the overall success of the work, the very modern and daring compositon Remington has chosen may not have seemed suitable for straight-forward illustration in the late 1880's. Placing the cowboy on a diagonal looking away from the viewer, cropping the composition on the left hand side, and describing the landscape in mere abstract horizontal bands may have appeared either incomplete or unsuccessful to Remington's audience. However, today, one is more apt to recognize the bold and direct approach Remington chose, in his attempt to focus the attention on the matter at hand and not on superfluous landscape element. Remington's quick, free brushstrokes and cursory formation of the cattle in the backround to the sides further places our attention on the wonderful arrangement of the rearing horse and the group of five or six cattle to their immediate right. The free, spontaneous nature of the picture, despite its carefully arranged compostion, suggests that it was conceived more as a painting than as an illustration.
Although Remington's purpose and intentions for this work may never be determined, it is clear that it is a product of the late 1880s and one which must have been inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's lively and descriptive text. The rich action and drama of The Round-Up was a great achievement for Remington at this point in his career and the overwhelming dynamism within it anticipates the masterworks of Remington's later years.
A letter from Peter Hassrick discussing the painting accompanies the lot.