Watching the Iron Horse 1902

Charles M. Russell made Watching the Iron Horse in 1902, presumably with watercolors. The washes of color feel so immediate, like Russell was right there, just dabbing and swirling. I love how the yellow of the sky bleeds into everything. Look at the way the figures on horseback emerge from the landscape with soft edges. The paint is so thin in places you can practically see through it. And then he accents with these dark, scratchy lines, like he's using a dry brush to pick out details in the horses’ manes or the folds of their clothes. Those dark marks give the whole scene this kind of nervous energy, like a sketch in motion. The way he lets the colors mix and mingle gives it an unfinished quality, which makes you feel like you're witnessing a moment rather than a grand historical statement. It reminds me a little of Winslow Homer, maybe because of the way he captures light and landscape. Ultimately this piece embraces a kind of looseness that invites you to fill in the blanks.