January 13th, 2024

Happy Saturday! Winter finally hit my area this week and it’s been miserable; almost 12” of snow and we’re probably going to hit -40F wind chills tomorrow night. I should be shoveling snow right now buttttt…..I wanted to write instead 😄 

This issue won’t include an artist interview, sadly. I’ve been wanting to expand and include collectors in our space, as I think their perspective would be amazing to hear. But the standard artist questions aren’t going to cut it, and I need some more time to flesh those out. Hopefully we’ll have a great one next week!

The artist I chose for this weeks deep dive is Frederic Remington. A well known American artist, he’s someone I’ve had a lifelong fascination with. I was an avid reader when I was a kid, and my dad would stop by thrift stores each week to buy various books for me to read. Quite a few of them were Western novels and I fell in love with the romantic portrayals of cowboy life, as many young boys do. One week, instead of a book my dad brought home a painting to hang in my room. I didn’t know who the artist was, but it captivated me completely.

Fast forward to college and the art history course I was taking. I started researching Frederic Remington for an essay and then it hit me that the painting I had loved as a child was non-other than the famous Dismounted: The Fourth Troopers Moving the Led Horses (shown below).

Let’s see what we can learn from the legend!

Artist Spotlight - Frederic Remington (1861-1909)

Career

Frederic Remington, born October 4th, 1861 in Canton, New York, began with his studies at the Yale School of Fine Arts and later at the Art Students League of New York. However, he found that academic art training didn't suit his style, and he was largely self-taught. As a young man, Remington wanted to join the U.S. Navy, but he was rejected due to his poor eyesight. Turning to art, he began his artistic career as an illustrator, creating images for popular publications like Harper's Weekly and Outing Magazine. His illustrations, often of the American West, were well-received and helped establish his reputation. His first trip to the West was in 1881. The landscapes, people, and lifestyle he encountered had a profound impact on his work, setting the foundation for his lifelong focus on Western themes.

As his career progressed, Remington transitioned from illustration to more formal painting and sculpture. He began producing large-scale oil paintings and bronze sculptures that captured the spirit and action of the American West. During this period, his work became increasingly popular. His paintings and sculptures were admired for their dynamic depiction of cowboys, Native Americans, and U.S. Cavalry, and they played a significant role in shaping the public's perception of the Western frontier. Remington's style evolved to incorporate more dramatic lighting and color, adding emotional depth and realism to his work. His sculpture, in particular, showcased his talent for capturing motion, with works like "Bronco Buster" (1895) becoming iconic.

In the last decade of his life, Remington's work reached new heights of artistic achievement. He experimented with nocturnal scenes and the effects of light and shadow, producing some of his most famous paintings, such as "The Night Herder" (1908). His later work began to reflect the closing of the American frontier and the changing times. His subjects often conveyed a sense of nostalgia and loss for the passing of an era. Towards the end of his life, Remington was recognized as one of America's most important painters of Western themes. He tragically died relatively young at the age of 48.

Contributions to the Art World

Remington's art played a crucial role in defining the popular image of the American West. His paintings, sculptures, and illustrations vividly portrayed cowboys, Native Americans, and soldiers, effectively capturing the spirit and drama of the frontier. His commitment to accurately depicting the details of the West — from the clothing and equipment of his subjects to the landscapes they inhabited — added a level of authenticity to his work that was influential in both art and popular culture. Native Americans were a prominent part of his art, and his portrayal of Native Americans evolved over time. While early in his career, his depictions were more in line with the stereotypes of his era, his later works showed a more nuanced and sympathetic understanding of their culture and struggles.

His portrayal of the West influenced not just the art world but also popular media, including literature, film, and television. His work helped shape the narrative and imagery of Western genre in American culture. As an illustrator for major magazines, Remington brought images of the West to a wide audience, contributing to the public's interest and understanding of this region during a time of significant change.

Remington's work has enjoyed enduring popularity and continues to be celebrated in museums and collections. His art provides a valuable historical record of the American West during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He inspired future generations of artists who sought to depict the American West, setting a standard for realism, action, and authenticity in the genre.

Style

Remington's artworks are noted for their realism and attention to fine details. He captured the nuances of Western life, from the attire of cowboys and soldiers to the features of the landscape. His dedication to accurately portraying his subjects was supported by thorough research. He often consulted with cowboys, soldiers, and Native Americans to ensure the authenticity of his depictions.

One of the hallmarks of Remington's style is his ability to convey movement and action. His paintings and sculptures often capture dynamic scenes, such as horses in mid-gallop or the heat of battle. His compositions are typically dramatic, filled with energy and tension, which draws viewers into the narrative of the artwork.

Remington often used lighting to dramatic effect, employing strong contrasts between light and shadow to create depth and mood in his paintings. His color palette was generally subdued, using earthy tones that are evocative of the landscapes and settings of the American West.

Each of Remington's works tells a story. He had a knack for capturing not just a moment in time, but also the broader narratives and emotions of the Old West. While his works are realistic, there is often a romantic quality to them, idealizing the ruggedness and adventure of frontier life.

Later in his career, Remington’s style evolved. He started experimenting with looser brushstrokes and impressionistic techniques, particularly in his nocturnal scenes. This later phase showed a different aspect of his artistry, focusing more on mood and atmosphere, achieved through a more impressionistic handling of light and color.

Influences and Lessons

Remington's father was a major influence, encouraging his interest in the outdoors and in storytelling, which later became central themes in his art. His travels and experiences in the American West deeply influenced his subject matter. His direct observation of cowboys, Native Americans, and U.S. Cavalrymen provided authentic material for his works.

The styles of contemporary and historical art movements, such as Romanticism and Impressionism, influenced Remington. While his work is predominantly realistic, he incorporated dramatic and atmospheric elements typical of these movements. The popular culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including literature about the West, also played a role in shaping his artistic themes and subjects.

Remington's commitment to accurately depicting the American West teaches the importance of authenticity in art. His attention to detail and firsthand knowledge of his subjects added credibility and depth to his work. His ability to tell stories through his paintings and sculptures highlights the power of visual art as a narrative medium. His works not only depict scenes but also tell stories about the lives and struggles of his subjects.

Remington's portrayal of the American West and its people, including Native Americans, reflects the perceptions and attitudes of his time. His work serves as a historical document, offering insights into the cultural narratives of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Style Representation

Collectors Corner

Eva Aros - CHAOS

Artist Highlight - Objkt??

I thought it would be fun to highlight some great curations that I saw this week, taking advantage of the newest update to the objkt.com platform allowing anyone to curate pieces into a cohesive (or not, you’re in charge) presentation.

Glitch Gala - ArtvisionNFT

Join a journey through animated glitch art, where every artwork tells a unique story of digital surprises.

monochrome magic - Danielle King

Beautiful black and white works

HUMAN, ALL TO HUMAN - AUGUSTGROUND

I’ve yet to play with the new feature myself, but hopefully this weekend I will. Definitely try it out!

Final Thoughts

If you like to play with DALLE-E but get annoyed with the occasional slowness of ChatGPT, I would suggest trying it out via the API. You need to have a GPT4 API key, and it does cost per image ($.04) but it’s quick and painless and sometimes a few cents is worth avoiding the headache.

I slapped a Colab notebook together when DALLE-3 launched, and I thought I would share it with you all. Some of the features only available via API are:

• HD quality. That’s right, you can get an image with more detail that the standard model. It does cost double though… $.08 per image vs $.04 so use with caution.

• You can actually choose the image orientation without prompting for it.

  • 1024×1024, 1792×1024, 1024×1792

• ‘Natural’ style. The default style is ‘vivid’, but you can change it to ‘natural’. YMMV, I can’t say that I’m a fan yet.

You can check out the Colab notebook on my Github. I’ve been using the API more and more as I run into degradation of service on ChatGPT.

The Lone Journey - my latest collection on Emprop’s OpenMarket.

As always, if you enjoyed this edition I would really appreciate if you shared it. Just hit the share button below. And if you’re not following me on X yet, I’d love to follow you back.

On that note, I’ll leave you with a quote that should resonate with all artists:

Enjoy your weekend, friend!

P.S. If you have feedback I’d love to hear it! A reply to this email goes directly to me.

Disclaimer: objkt.com links may include referral codes that provide a small commission to me at no cost to the collector; commissions are paid from objkt’s fee that they charge for each transaction.