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Lot Essay
Life in the American West at the turn of the century was not for the fainthearted, but Charles Marion Russell, the Cowboy Artist, embraced even the most rugged experiences and thrived on translating them in his art. The artist's first experience in the rugged West was a trip to Montana just after his sixteenth birthday. The artist's father instigated the trip, hoping that his son would be cured of his romantic notions of the area. Instead, he became completely absorbed in the local life, working for the next seven years as a horse wrangler and night herder.
The artist has been described as a "ragged jester and good fellow of the roundup camp, [who] lived and loved the life of the toughest profession of the early pioneer era in the West. Fate cast him in the incongruous role of artist and poet -- a role forced upon him by some inescapable destiny and which for a good many years he seems not to have taken quite seriously. Self-taught, unschooled, and entirely unorthodox in every respect, he was to become one of the most distinguished personalities in the field of western documentary art." (H. McCracken, The Charles M. Russell Book, Garden City, New York, 1957, p. 14)
The Attack demonstrates Russell's true love for the West, both in his keen observation of the details of the life of the frontiersman, and in his ability to capture the heroism that he regularly encountered. Much of the power of Russell's finest paintings lies in their ability to convey his intimate knowledge of and respect for those who inhabit the West. His superior, self-taught draftsmanship allowed him to render the infinite details of the figures' forms and dress, while his fluid brushwork provides the composition with its sense of movement and dramatic tension. His sensitive use of color not only improves the accuracy of the image, but his broad use of soft washes contributes to the overall effect of the Western landscape.
Describing the action that takes place in The Attack, Frederic G. Renner illustrates the hazards of hunting and trading in the area: "Free trappers with covetous eyes on beaver in the Blackfoot country employed either of two stratagems for safety. One was to go alone with a trusted companion, travel at night, and try to avoid being seen by the hostile Indians in the daytime. The other was to form a larger party of heavily armed men and depend on sheer number and fire power to withstand attack from any wandering war party. There was danger in both methods. Even the larger parties usually had to make a run for it if they were caught in the open country. If they could reach the timber, where they could fort up and hold off the attack, some of them might live to tell of their experiences." (F.G. Renner, Charles M. Russell, Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture in the Amon Carter Museum, New York, 1974, p. 157)
The Attack is a powerful image composed of a vast expanse of brush-covered plains, with mountains in the far distance. The central figure group speeds ahead, while fending off a band of Indians that are approaching. Not content with glossing over details, Russell has included some of the more gruesome aspects of the encounter, including what appears to be the collapse of one of the central figures. Like all of Russell's best works, it demonstrates the effects of his experience and training, as he captures at once both the finest details and the basic essence of his subjects.
The artist has been described as a "ragged jester and good fellow of the roundup camp, [who] lived and loved the life of the toughest profession of the early pioneer era in the West. Fate cast him in the incongruous role of artist and poet -- a role forced upon him by some inescapable destiny and which for a good many years he seems not to have taken quite seriously. Self-taught, unschooled, and entirely unorthodox in every respect, he was to become one of the most distinguished personalities in the field of western documentary art." (H. McCracken, The Charles M. Russell Book, Garden City, New York, 1957, p. 14)
The Attack demonstrates Russell's true love for the West, both in his keen observation of the details of the life of the frontiersman, and in his ability to capture the heroism that he regularly encountered. Much of the power of Russell's finest paintings lies in their ability to convey his intimate knowledge of and respect for those who inhabit the West. His superior, self-taught draftsmanship allowed him to render the infinite details of the figures' forms and dress, while his fluid brushwork provides the composition with its sense of movement and dramatic tension. His sensitive use of color not only improves the accuracy of the image, but his broad use of soft washes contributes to the overall effect of the Western landscape.
Describing the action that takes place in The Attack, Frederic G. Renner illustrates the hazards of hunting and trading in the area: "Free trappers with covetous eyes on beaver in the Blackfoot country employed either of two stratagems for safety. One was to go alone with a trusted companion, travel at night, and try to avoid being seen by the hostile Indians in the daytime. The other was to form a larger party of heavily armed men and depend on sheer number and fire power to withstand attack from any wandering war party. There was danger in both methods. Even the larger parties usually had to make a run for it if they were caught in the open country. If they could reach the timber, where they could fort up and hold off the attack, some of them might live to tell of their experiences." (F.G. Renner, Charles M. Russell, Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture in the Amon Carter Museum, New York, 1974, p. 157)
The Attack is a powerful image composed of a vast expanse of brush-covered plains, with mountains in the far distance. The central figure group speeds ahead, while fending off a band of Indians that are approaching. Not content with glossing over details, Russell has included some of the more gruesome aspects of the encounter, including what appears to be the collapse of one of the central figures. Like all of Russell's best works, it demonstrates the effects of his experience and training, as he captures at once both the finest details and the basic essence of his subjects.