Deer Grazing 1912

Charles M. Russell made this painting of Deer Grazing, and it's a whole mood of blues and browns, laid down with a loose, almost dreamy touch, like a memory half-forgotten. The paint's not trying to hide anything, you can see the strokes, the way the colors blend and bleed into each other. Look at the mountains in the background; they're not sharp and defined, but soft and hazy, like they're breathing. The deer in the foreground, they're more solid, but still painted with a kind of tenderness, a sense of respect for their wildness. It reminds me a bit of Albert Bierstadt, but with a touch more heart, and a lot less grandeur. Where Bierstadt was all about the epic, Russell seems more interested in the quiet, everyday moments. And that's what makes it so appealing, it's not trying to impress you, just inviting you to share a moment of peace in the wilderness.