Blackfeet Burning Crow Buffalo Range 1905

Charles M. Russell made this watercolour of the Blackfeet burning crow buffalo range in his studio, I imagine, in front of his easel. Look at those earthy golds and yellows, laid down in soft washes, creating a scene of expansive landscape and human presence. I imagine Russell standing there, brush in hand, maybe humming a tune, trying to capture the essence of the Old West. Those distant mountains, they’re not just shapes, right? They're like memories, hazy and monumental. The smoke rising from the fire, painted with such delicate strokes, it’s as if he’s conjuring up the spirit of the land. I wonder if he ever felt like he was betraying what he was trying to represent. And the figures – the Blackfeet warriors – they are not just part of the scene, they are the scene. Russell wasn’t just painting a picture, he was telling a story, a story of a time that was already fading into myth. It makes you wonder, who gets to tell these stories? Who gets to decide what gets remembered? Anyway, it is something to think about. I wonder how many other paintings he made, inspired and in conversation with this one.