Frightened Cowboy 1980

Derek Boshier made this painting, Frightened Cowboy, using oil paint, and well, it’s definitely something, isn’t it? The way Boshier lays down the paint here is pretty direct. It’s not trying to be super smooth or anything. Look at that sky: these brushstrokes build up this intense, almost apocalyptic feeling. The cowboy himself seems caught in a moment of real panic, painted in this fleshy pink that’s both vulnerable and a little absurd. And there is something interesting about the texture. It feels like Boshier wasn’t afraid to let the paint do its thing. It adds this physicality that gets under your skin. The cowboy’s hand, held up in this gesture of fear or maybe even surrender, is particularly telling. It is like he’s trying to ward something off, but the more you look, the more you realize the threat might be coming from inside. This piece feels like it owes a debt to artists like Philip Guston, who weren’t afraid to mix humor with darker themes. It’s like Boshier is inviting us to laugh, but also to feel the unease of the world.