Piegans 1918

Charles M. Russell made this painting, Piegans, with oil on canvas, and it's all about capturing a moment, a feeling, through the materiality of paint. The way Russell layers his colors—soft yellows, blues, and browns—it’s like he’s conjuring the very air of the Montana landscape. Look at the ground, how the brushstrokes mimic the texture of the grass. It's as if you can feel the sun on your face. The horses are painted so deliberately, with such care, it's not about perfect rendering, but about evoking the essence, the spirit of each animal. There’s a sense of respect and admiration in every stroke. Russell reminds me of Frederic Remington, who also portrayed the American West with a similar blend of realism and romanticism. These aren’t just paintings; they’re stories, invitations to imagine a world both familiar and distant.