The Slick Ear 1914

Here's Charles M. Russell's ‘The Slick Ear’, in which the landscape is rendered with soft, dusty colors and gestural brushstrokes. Imagine Russell working en plein air, out there in Montana, trying to capture the drama of this scene. There’s a real energy in the way he’s laid down the paint, thick in some places, thin in others, creating a sense of depth and movement. Look at the way he's described the cattle in the foreground, each one a unique character with its own markings and personality. And that lone rider in the background, silhouetted against the sky, what's his story? I feel like Russell knew these cowboys, understood their lives, and wanted to share that with us. He wasn’t just painting a picture; he was telling a story, preserving a way of life that was already fading into the past. I think artists are constantly talking to each other, across time and space, and through Russell we can reflect on our place in the world.