Artists Paint the Old West

Kindergarten Art Docent Program - Earhart Elementary School

George Catlin, Currier and Ives[1813 - 1888] & [1824 - 1895]Catlin was born in a Pennsylvania frontier town in 1796. He was very famous. These three early native Americans were drawn by Catlin. Then the printmaking firm owned by Currier and Ives made many reproductions of the picture.

North American Indians

Look how carefully Catlin has shown the clothing of these two men and a woman and their features.

Can you describe the jewelry that hangs around their necks?

What are they wearing on their feet?

Which figure attracts your attention first?

Do you see the animals and designs painted on the buckskin robes?

Frederic Remington[1861 - 1909]made 2,750 paintings and drawings and 25 bronze sculptures. He had captured the spirit and vigor of frontier life. He once stated, “I knew that the wild riders and vacant lands were about to vanish forever – I saw the living, breathing end of three centuries of smoke and dust and sweat.”

The Scout

This is an Indian scout. Can you describe what the Indian is wearing?

What do you think he is looking for?

What does the man have on his head?

Is this day time or night time? [A very cold moonlit night]

Can you see the light of the tiny settlement in the distance?[The Indian is wondering if the people in the settlement are friends or enemies]

William Robinson Leigh[1866 - 1955]was born in West Virginia to embittered parents who had lost nearly everything in the Civil War. He caught action and drama with his dashing brushstrokes, play of light and shadow.

A Close Call

This is a cowboy charging through a rocky canyon on his house. What do you think has just happened to make this cowboy have a close call?

Can you tell how Leigh made us feel all the excitement?

Where is the cowboy’s hat?

Do you see the divided background in dark and light areas which makes the horse and rider stand out against the pale colors of the rocks?

H.W. Hansen[1854 - 1924]was born in Germany in 1854, and studied there until he was 22. In 1882, he moved to California. He had his first showing of Western art in San Francisco in 1901. He was a favorite artist of people in California. He died in Oakland in 1924.

Questionable Companions

A companion is someone who is your friend and who goes places with you. If something is “questionable,” it means that it may be true and it may not be true. What do you think of the name of this picture - “Questionable Companions”?

What do you think they are talking about?

Do you think they are friends?

What do each of them have on their heads?

Rosa Bonheur[1822 - 1899]was one of four children. She was a French artist who were taught by her father – a landscape painter and drawing teacher. She was called the world’s best animal painter and was given many honors.

Colonel William F. Cody

Colonel Cody, aka Buffalo Bill, and his group of performers traveled to Europe where they appeared at the French Exposition of 1898. Their camp covered 30 acres and included 115 Native Americans, 48 cowboys, six women performers, Mexican herdsmen, buffalo, Eskimo dogs, and many horses.

How is he dressed?

How is he holding the reins?

Why do you think he is looking toward the left instead of straight ahead?

Examples