The Renegade 1900

Editor: This is Charles Russell’s “The Renegade” from 1900. It looks like it's an oil painting and watercolour illustrating a chaotic scene with cowboys roping a bull. There’s so much movement and action packed into this image! What is it that stands out to you about this piece? Curator: Well, looking at “The Renegade” from a historical perspective, I am struck by how it perpetuates and perhaps romanticizes the mythology of the Wild West. Consider when it was created - 1900 - near the close of the American frontier. This piece enters into the debate about Manifest Destiny. Does it represent the "taming" of the west or the loss of indigenous culture and ways of life? Editor: That’s interesting. I was really focused on the aesthetics of the artwork and less so on the historical implications. Curator: Right, but the aesthetics contribute to that romanticization. The landscape is vast, seemingly untouched. The cowboys are portrayed as figures of strength and skill, mastering their environment. The painting then helps to consolidate cultural beliefs that supported expansion, even if that came at a considerable societal cost. How does knowing that historical perspective impact your view of it now? Editor: I can't unsee that! Knowing the political landscape really reshapes my interpretation. It’s not just a dynamic action scene, but an interpretation with cultural implications. I am more critical of the artist's decisions. Curator: Exactly! Art is so frequently intertwined with the sociopolitical and cultural landscape it was born out of. The key is to look for those connections and question the role that the artwork played in the larger world around it. Editor: I'll never see Western art the same way again. This gives me a whole new framework for looking at not only Russell’s work, but other artists of the era as well.