The Denver Art Museum has so much to offer

The Native American culture is one of tradition, respect, and livelihood. Both of the pieces of artwork that I saw at the Denver Art Museum somehow evoke one of those ideals. The traditional work that was chosen is by Charles Marion Russell. Buffalo Hunt was created in 1897 by this prolific American artist using oil paint on canvas (Fig. 1). Russell began making buffalo hunt scenes when he was just beginning his career as an artist, about ten years before he made this painting. By 1897, he was implementing stylistic and technical improvements. In his early buffalo hunt paintings he specifically used simple profiles of buffaloes, here Russell shows the forefront buffalo head-on to more successfully encapsulate dramatic movement. Russell’s art portrayed what his colleagues felt were the real truths about western life. He also experienced some of it first hand as he spent almost a decade working on a night wrangler with various cattle operations, and he associated with cowboys as well as Northern Plains Indians. His early works received praise from his peers and from the community for their veracity and energy. His later paintings portrayed a time before his own. A time when the land and its people were unspoiled and unaffected by the advance of Anglo civilization. These themes from the Old West resonated with westerners as well as with the nation as a whole.

                                                           

 The latter contemporary work was painted by John Nieto, another American born artist. Crow Medicine Man was produced around 1990 using acrylic paint on canvas (Fig.2). Nieto concentrates on themes that go beyond mere representation of an idea or subject. He employs powerful primary colors, laying them down in chunky strokes to add facets and character to the piece. In everything he does he uses sensitivity and respect for his subject. He focuses on capturing his distinctive vision of the subjects he paints. He strives to break out of the ordinary. The bold imagery is the essence of his art through which he tries to evoke a reaction from those viewing the work. His art is a melding of his ideals and his technical ingenuity, an intense representation of his heritage and liveliness. He uses what he knows, for example his heritage, and expresses it through his eyes. His ancestors are deeply rooted in New Mexico which is known to be rich in Native American culture. He uses the cultural ideas he knows and consumes the viewer’s eyes with the electric colors and strong confident lines. This aspect makes his work instantaneously recognizable.

                                                          

One aspect that transfers between the two pieces is the subject matter and the reliability of the portrayal of the subjects. Although Nieto uses stronger colors that are not traditional, the feel of the piece still brings a sense of pride and reverence. Some may read it as disrespecting the Native American people but in reality he is simply showing another perspective. He does not efface the figure but instead enhances its power. Although the idea still comes through with Nieto’s piece, Russell’s piece is more realistic to what a buffalo hunting scene would look like. He lived in a time where he experienced the cowboy lifestyle. He worked during the day observing what the cowboys did and at night he would sketch what he saw. Being a historian he studied Native Americans as well as put himself in the presence of the Blood Indians of Alberta, Canada. He used the experiences he had there in many of his works to come. While Russell conveys the realistic life of Native Americans, Nieto brings an edge and unlikely look to singular pieces of Indian culture such as medicine men, wolves, chiefs, and bears. He still includes important aspects but seems to be on the opposite spectrum from Russell. Both pieces of artwork play a significant role within Native American culture. Although they look like they come from extremely different styles, they are both trying to convey the way they perceive life among a culture that they have experienced. In the end they both successfully portray an interesting view of Indian culture.

~ by itsartyo on November 20, 2009.