When the Land Belonged to God 1914

Charles M. Russell invites us into a romanticized vision of the American West in his painting, *When the Land Belonged to God*. Russell, who lived among the Native American tribes of Montana for many years, sought to capture a vanishing way of life. This painting portrays a landscape teeming with bison; animals which were integral to the lives of many Native American tribes. They represented sustenance, spirituality, and cultural identity. Yet, as settlers moved westward, the bison population was decimated, leading to cultural disruption. The painting's title suggests a time of natural harmony; one that predates colonization and exploitation. There's a palpable sense of longing for an unspoiled, untamed wilderness, a place where the rhythms of life were dictated by nature rather than human greed. Russell's work serves as both a celebration and a lament; an elegy for a world that was irrevocably changed by the forces of history. It serves as a reminder of the complex relationship between humanity and nature; a story etched in the land itself.