Captain Murie’s Pawnees 1983

Tom Lovell made this painting, Captain Murie’s Pawnees, at an unknown date with oil on canvas, and it’s fascinating how he blends these figures into the landscape using muted, earthy tones. You can almost feel the wind rustling through the tall grass. Lovell wasn't messing around when it came to detail. Up close, you can see the texture of the paint, especially in the way he renders the movement of the grass in the foreground. It's thick in places, giving real body to the scene, but also quite controlled. Look at the way he paints the horses' muscles and the folds of the blue cloth. There's this sense of realism but it's all built from little strokes, like he's constructing the image piece by piece. It makes me think about Frederic Remington, another artist who chronicled the American West. But where Remington goes for drama, Lovell’s painting feels more like a quiet observation, a respectful nod to the Pawnee scouts and their environment. It's a reminder that art is always a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas and perspectives.