Spur 1935 - 1942

Editor: Here we have Eldon Allen’s “Spur,” made sometime between 1935 and 1942, rendered in watercolor and drawing. There is something quite stark and clinical about it despite depicting an object so intimately tied to cowboy culture. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: That’s an interesting reaction. For me, the spur becomes a focal point for examining broader historical and socio-political narratives. It speaks to the mythology of the American West, a romanticized, often violent space where concepts of rugged individualism, conquest, and expansion were deeply embedded. The star motif, repeated on the spur, could be interpreted as an assertion of power and territorial claim, which, of course, raises difficult questions about settler colonialism and its impact on indigenous populations. Does that symbolism come across for you? Editor: Absolutely, I see what you mean about the star. It’s hard to miss the implication of power. I guess I was so focused on how isolated the spur feels in the composition that I missed those larger cues. Curator: The isolation itself is also telling. Decontextualized in this way, the spur becomes a symbol ripe for reinterpretation, removed from the grit and dust of the ranch, the scent of horse sweat, and instead existing as an ideal – perhaps even a critique – of a very specific brand of American masculinity and westward expansion. Think about how the reality of ranching diverged from its portrayal. What was that discrepancy about? Editor: So it becomes less about the physical object itself, and more about the web of cultural associations it carries? Curator: Precisely. Consider the labor involved in maintaining ranches. Think about gender roles on the frontier. Understanding the multifaceted history of the West, not just the cowboy narrative, can give us a deeper appreciation of what this unassuming drawing of a spur is trying to express. Editor: I am now thinking about this object very differently, and about the whole notion of the West, too. Thanks so much! Curator: My pleasure. It's these conversations, interweaving art and broader societal critiques, that keep art history so relevant.