Remington and his amazing nocturnes. Wow.

I'd seen a few of Remington's paintings over the years that pretty much knocked my socks off. Yet I'm surprised with each one I see because I think of him - still - as an illustrator. The last few paintings I saw changed that. I now see him in a whole new light. Night.

Two weeks ago I visited the Gilcrease museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Great paintings there by artists I was unfamiliar with, like William Jacob Hays and his painting Herd of Buffalo on the Bed of the River Missouri. Unfortunately they don't allow photographs and they sell very few reproductions in their gift shop. This one isn't on their website, nor is their fine Remington nocturne online. I've got nothing to show you. But there was a Remington Nocturne and it was amazing.

Then the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth which, happily, allows visitors to take photographs of their permanent collection. After all, why the heck wouldn't a museum allow that? So sensible. Here's their Remington with closeups:

Frederic Remington, The Grass Fire (Backfiring), 1908, Amon Carter Museum of Art, Fort Worth Texas.



The National Gallery of Art has some very good Remingtons and they've put together this great website with his nocturnes and other paintings. Click here for that.

Comments

B Lancton said…
This is one of my favorites of Remington's paintings. Maybe it's because I grew up seeing a framed print of it always hanging on the wall somewhere in our house when I was a kid. During 18 years of staring at that print from across a room, I always assumed that it was of some cowboys sleeping in bedrolls during the night. Ok....not even close, except for the nighttime part. One day I saw an excellent color print in a book of this painting, and saw it for what it was - an excellent work, and I went on to search for Remington's other nighttime paintings. I agree - he's far more than an illustrator. Anyone who can achieve so much mood and emotion with such simplicity of color and value is a poetic genius. Thanks for posting this!
May 7, 2011 at 8:52 PM
Casey Klahn said…
Hey, Lisa! You are getting around so much it makes my head spin!

I've never seen a FR in real life, but want to do so, someday.

I followed the NW artists you listed, BTW.
May 8, 2011 at 9:25 AM
Lisa McShane said…
Hi Bea - It is wonderful. Glad we got to see it live and up close.

Casey - thanks for following those folks! 2 of them are colorists and new to blogging so the follow is much appreciated. Yes, it's been a good year for me for seeing art. I've been puzzling over the question of why all these cities in the south have remarkable museums with inspiring collections and the NW, not so much.

I'll be over in your neck of the woods (prairie?) soon and will give you a shout.
May 8, 2011 at 9:54 AM
loriann signori said…
Hi Lisa!
I remember that show at the National. I agree with you his nocturnes are stunning. Thanks for sharing the close-ups and slide show.
May 8, 2011 at 5:45 PM
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