Catching the Wild Horse 1844
georgecatlin
minneapolisinstituteofart
print, watercolor
portrait
narrative-art
landscape
figuration
watercolor
romanticism
united-states
watercolour illustration
genre-painting
watercolor
indigenous-americas
"Catching the Wild Horse" is a watercolor painting by George Catlin, an American artist known for his depictions of Native American life. The artwork depicts a Native American man attempting to capture a wild horse with a rope. The scene is set on a vast grassy plain with distant mountains in the background. The artist's signature romantic style is evident in the vibrant colors and the dramatic composition. This piece was painted in 1844 as part of Catlin's extensive collection of artworks depicting the lives and cultures of Native Americans.
Comments
During the 1830s, George Catlin traversed the Great Plains to record the appearance and customs of Native people. He was among the first artists of European descent to travel widely in the Midwest and West, spending eight years chronicling scenes of daily life among the 48 indigenous tribes he encountered. In 1844, with the intention of honoring and preserving Native culture in the face of growing oppression by the U.S. government and military, Catlin published a series of 25 hand-colored lithographs based on his sketches and paintings. Though he romanticized many of his subjects, the prints in North American Indian Collection provide a glimpse of Native culture on the U.S. frontier in the 1830s.
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