THE ARTIST: Frederic Remington (1861-1909) American Cowboy Artist Frederic Remington is best known for his action-filled paintings of cowboys and Indians. He loved horses and outdoor life as a boy. He drew Western characters and battle scenes, though he was not a cowboy himself. He lived in the state of New York and had to make trips to the West, which he did often. There he gathered information for his pictures. He
THE TIMES: Y oung men knew how to handle a gun and how to ride a horse after their involvement in the Civil War in the mid 1800 ’s , so becoming a cowboy seemed like a good way to continue the kind of life they’d become used to. After the war, there was a need for beef in the more populated Eastern United States. Texas had cattle roaming free. America needed people to round up the cattle and drive them from Texas to railroad depots in Missouri, where the cattle could then travel by train to the Eastern states. Men doing the job were called cowboys. Cowboys endured the harsh climate of the southwest and made camp outdoors each night alongside the cattle. White men, African Americans, Mexicans, and Native Americans became cowboys. Skirmishes with Native American tribes were still taking place at this time as shown in Frederic Remington’s painting , Aiding a Comrade . Newspapers told exaggerated stories about the Wild West and people in both America and Europe loved hearing about the heroes and outlaws who lived out West. When movies and TV were developed, America returned to telling stories of the cowboys through those new mediums. Cowboy stories remained popular throughout the 1950’s.
also made small-scale bronze sculptures of broncobusters.
MAKE AN OBSERVATION DRAWING!
It takes practice to draw solid areas of value. To get solid areas of value, draw simple shapes and fill them in. Keep the pressure on the pencil the same. Keep it lighter for light values. Keep it heavier for dark values. To make it fun, always choose shapes of things you like!
Value is created by using the side of the pencil as shown on page 19 and moving it back and forth. You can go over an area in different directions.
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