Off the Range (Coming Through the Rye) c. 1902 - 1903

Frederic Remington made "Off the Range (Coming Through the Rye)" out of bronze, and its surface is alive with this incredible textural energy. It is clear that this thing was made with the hand. Look at how the artist worked the metal, pushing and pulling it to create these riders and their horses. The horses and men become these kind of fluid, emergent forms as a result of Remington’s intense and invested process. See that raised arm of the second rider and the way the metal has been dragged to give it form? The bronze has this tactile quality that captures the raw energy of these figures barreling forward, wild with abandon. Remington reminds me a little of Rodin, especially in the way that he prioritizes conveying emotion and the energy of a particular moment over everything else. His work shows how art can be this site where fixed ideas are challenged, where materials and process open up a space for questioning and reinterpretation.