Return of the Warriors 1906

Here we see Charles M. Russell's watercolor painting "Return of the Warriors," and I imagine him making it in his studio, lost in the movement of these figures on horseback. The washes of muted colors, mostly yellows and browns, laid down with thin brushstrokes—it feels like he’s trying to capture a moment, an image of a world he knows, or knew. I can see how the light catches on the figures, creating strong shadows, a kind of quick, impressionistic notation. I wonder, did he use photographs, or was it all memory? The spears held high, the shields at the ready, the expressions on the warriors’ faces – I wonder what story he’s trying to tell. It reminds me how painters are always in conversation with each other, borrowing, stealing, and transforming ideas across time. He must have been looking at Remington, but he is doing his own thing. The painting is not just about what is depicted, but about the artist's own experience, his embodied memory, and his attempt to capture a feeling. It remains open, allowing for multiple interpretations.