Rural Delivery (Where the Mail Goes 1906

N. C. Wyeth made "Rural Delivery" without us knowing when, using oil on canvas. It's like he stirred up a pot of ochre, burnt umber, and sky blue to make this scene. I can imagine Wyeth out there painting this. The horse, the rider, the wheat, the moon—they all seem to glow with the soft light of a dream. Look at the way he handles the horse’s muscles, the way he makes them ripple with life and energy. It's thick, lush, like frosting on a cake. The road in front of them seems to fade into nothingness. You can almost feel the dust rising as the horse takes one step forward. It is like the horse and rider could fall off the edge of the world. Painters are always talking to each other, across time and space. You can see echoes of Frederic Remington, maybe even a little bit of Winslow Homer.