Frederic Remington (1861-1909), the American artist, is famous for his paintings and sculptures of American West cowboys, horses, and Indians in the late 1800s. Because of these works of art, he is sometimes referred to as Frederic Remington, the Cowboy. But he had many other talents, and many art historians and critics believe his success and popularity as an artist are a result of his multi-talented nature. However, he was multi-talented in the field of the arts and his personal life as a whole.
Usually, art lovers know that he was a multi-talented artist, but few know that he had many other talents as well. He had, for instance, the “non-artistic” sports talent to be part of the football team of Yale University and to be a good boxer and swimmer. And he also was a talented journalist and novelist.
In this article, we’ll not only have a look at Remington as a multi-talented artist but also briefly look at Remington as a multi-talented individual.
Remington as a Multi-Talented Individual
Remington was multi-talented in more than one way. As a boy, he was large and strong for his age and successfully participated in hunting, boxing, swimming, horse riding, and camping. In addition, he had a natural talent for physical activities.
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But although he was this active outdoors-loving young man, he also was an “emerging” artist. From a very young age, he had the talent to sketch and draw pictures of horses and the cavalry. With his talent, he was also always drawing caricatures and silhouettes of his classmates.
Thus, apart from his talent for sports and outdoor activities, he had the talent to create works of art from a very young age.
He also had the talent to be a successful journalist; at a stage, he foresaw his future as a journalist with painting only as a side-line. But, to a certain extent, his journalistic talent led him to become a very talented painter and sculptor.
Remington as a Multi-Talented Artist
Frederic Remington was a multi-talented artist who had success as the creator of his classmates’ sketches, caricatures, and silhouettes but also as an illustrator, writer, sculptor, and painter.
He had the talent to draw and paint cavalry troops, cowboys, and Indians so successfully that his works were included in popular periodicals such as “Harper’s Weekly” and “Collier’s.” By 1886 he was an established illustrator, and by the mid-1890s, he was undoubtedly one of the most famous illustrators of the time.
Some art historians even believe that the famous Frederic Remington night paintings depicted landscapes, horses, Indians, and cavalry in the different ways that created the images Americans had of Western America of that time.
But because of the success of Frederic Remington’s paintings of horses, cowboys, and Indians, people sometimes forget that with his talent, he also succeeded with other types of work art.
Example of Combining Talents
As a multi-talented artist, Remington could also create art with another “feeling” than his “traditional” horses, cowboys, and Indians. A good example is what happened after he visited Cuba.
At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Remington went to Cuba as a war correspondent. The reality of war deeply moved him. When he returned to the U.S., he utilized his painting talent by experimenting with nocturnal images.
His paintings were filled with danger, threatened violence, and menacing silence during that period. The paintings mirror Remington’s experience of war. This is an excellent example of Remington combining his journalism and painting talent.
When you learn more about Remington’s artists, you’ll discover more of his talents and what he did with the different talents.
Illustration Talent
Newspapers in the American East kept being interested in the American West, and Remington kept submitting illustrations with American West themes for publication. Finally, in 1886 his first full-page cover under his name appeared in “Harper’s Weekly.”
One of his important illustration commissions was 83 illustrations for a book by the young Theodore Roosevelt.
Drawing and Journalistic Talent
The same year, “Harper’s Weekly” sent him as a journalist to cover the 1886 Charleston earthquake. However, Remington expanded his work by also doing drawings for “Outing” magazine.
Interestingly, in his first year as a commercial artist, he earned $1,200 – about three times a typical teacher’s salary.
Watercolors and drawings
As a painter, he was talented enough to produce much more than only oil paintings. He produced ink and wash drawings for commercial reproduction in black and white. He also started to create watercolors and sell them at art exhibitions.
Talented Sculptor Remington
Some art lovers need to remember that Remington’s Western paintings are not his only depictions of the American West. He was also a talented sculptor and created cowboy sculptures. For instance, his bronze sculpture “The Bronco Buster” portrays a cowboy fighting to stay aboard a rearing, plunging, partially trained horse. The ring that holds a rider’s foot is swinging free, and the cowboy has a short whip in one hand and a fistful of mane and reins in the other.
Another famous Remington statue of a cowboy is simply known as “Cowboy” and is a site-specific statute. In March 1905, the president of the Fairmount Park Art Association suggested that a cowboy statue be commissioned for the park.
Remington’s artist agreed to create the work but only if he could choose the spot and get a horseman to pose for him on the spot. The sculpture was completed in 1908. It was Remington’s first and only large sculpture.
Conclusion
In his short lifetime, the multi-talented Remington created over 3,000 drawings and paintings. He also used his talent to create sculptures and created 22 bronze sculptures. He also had the talent to write a novel, a Broadway play, and over 100 articles and stories. Frederic Remington’s art is an excellent example of the result when an artist combines different talents to create unique works of art.
