Indian War Party 1903

Charles M. Russell’s ‘Indian War Party’ is a watercolour painting that captures the vastness of the American West. You can see it in the dry brushstrokes he uses to suggest the arid landscape. It’s all about process. The palette is all sandy browns and tans, reflecting the sun-baked earth. Look how Russell uses thin washes of paint to create a sense of depth, making the mountains in the distance appear hazy and far away. But then, up close, the figures of the war party are rendered with more detail, using darker outlines and denser colour. This contrast between the loose background and the focused foreground brings the viewer into the scene. The lone figure at the front has a kind of defiant energy, and he really holds the painting together. Like with Guston, it’s about the immediacy and rawness of the mark. The overall impression is one of tension and anticipation. You can almost feel the heat and dust of the plains.