Sun Worship in Montana 1907

Charles M. Russell made this watercolor painting, Sun Worship in Montana, at the turn of the century. Look at the gesture of the figure, offering a shield to the sun. You can almost feel the broad Montana sky and the vast landscape of the American West. I can imagine Russell, too, as a kind of worshipper, celebrating the people and places that were disappearing even as he painted them. The paint is thin and washy, which gives a sense of immediacy, as if it were painted quickly, en plein air. See how he uses the white of the paper to his advantage, letting it act as light, and how the blue shadows suggest the heat of the sun. He’s part of a long tradition of painters trying to capture a moment, a feeling, a place in time. Painting is like having a conversation across time – full of admiration, rivalry, and inspiration.