The old American West was a time, and a culture, in itself. A tumultuos time where your next dinner depended on your hunting abilities, and natives were in tense relationship with the cowboys and pioneers invading their lands. Today the world is small. We are interconnected with technology and an unknown land is no where to be found. There is no new frontier to conquer, as far as morals and top-side land is concerned, so it can be difficult for us to understand what this time was like. Luckily that time was documented well by the artwork of Frederic Remington, famous sculptor, painter and writer who was passionate about capturing the life of this time.
The Remington Museum sits in Ogdensburg, NY. A small city, port to Ontario, it happily claims itself to be the home of Frederic Remington. His career began as an illustrator for Harpers, and as he became notorious for his work many sought him out to freeze these moments in time forever. As time went by he desired a more artistic venue, and he began painting and sculpting some of the most famous works portraying the American West.
His attention to detail is exquisite, especially notable in his bronze sculptures that would have delicate bridles and ropes adorning the sculpture. Every sculpture of Remington is dynamic, capturing a moment in time that was in action or full of emotion. My favorite painting (top) has to be “The End of the Day”. The blue color used for the snow really does capture how cold it was outside as the logger returned home for the evening. My favorite sculpture of his would be “Mountain Man”, an image of a man riding his horse down a steep grade.
Along with displays of originals of his work, and some artwork by other artists that Remington had collected, the house itself is remarkable. The Parish Mansion, home of the Remington museum, was built in 1809. Recently renovated, Remington’s wife, Eva, moved into the home in 1915. When she passed away she left her late husband’s art and collections in a will to form the museum.
While Remington’s finished works are the main attraction of the museum, I have always found the sketches and unfinished works to be more interesting. It shows the raw image that the artist had in his mind and often conveys a more dramatic idea of what he wanted to attain in the finished work.
While the museum was beautiful, it was time for me to make like the Wild West and countinue my wagon trail northward. Tonight I headed into Ontario, Canada to visit some friends and, of course, a cave. In a way a Jeep is the modern covered wagon, the adventurous way to go anywhere and pioneer forwards.
I’ll see you at the end of my next trail.
-Nicole
