A Halt In The Wilderness 1905

Frederic Remington made this painting of a halt in the wilderness with oil on canvas. Imagine him, squinting, trying to capture the frigid light. The canvas is awash with cool blues and greens, punctuated by the warm, flickering oranges of the campfire. Thick strokes of paint give the scene a palpable sense of texture—the rough bark of the trees, the heavy folds of the figures’ coats, the crunch of snow underfoot. The brushwork is pretty dynamic. I wonder what it was like for Remington, trying to translate the experience of warmth amidst the cold, of camaraderie amidst the vastness of the wilderness, onto the canvas. I think of other artists who have worked in the landscape like Bonnard who also worked a lot with memory. Remington, like so many artists, was engaged in a conversation with the world around him, with the materials at his disposal, and with the artists who came before him. Each brushstroke is a moment of discovery, a gesture of inquiry, and an invitation for us to join in the exploration.