The Mentor: Painters of Western Life, Vol 3, Num. 9, Serial No. 85, June 15, 1915

In Short

Arthur Hoeber presents an illustrated guide to the artists who captured the rapidly disappearing American frontier. The text surveys the evolution of Western art, beginning with early nineteenth-century pioneers like George Catlin and William de la M. Cary, who recorded untamed tribal life. It then moves to the celebrated era of Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, and Charles Schreyvogel, who depicted action-packed encounters of soldiers, cowboys, and Native Americans. Finally, it examines Taos colony painters like E. Irving Couse and George de Forest Brush, who brought academic training and poetic intimacy to their portrayals of Southwest cultures.

The Story

The narrative traces how American art turned its gaze toward the Great West, evolving from crude historical reporting into a vital national genre. The journey starts in 1830 with George Catlin, a Philadelphia lawyer turned painter who ventured up the Missouri River alongside government officials to document Indian tribes in their unblemished, primitive state. Catlin’s massive body of sketches established a historical record of frontier life, followed soon after in 1861 by William de la M. Cary, who sketched his own high-stakes journeys across the plains for eastern magazines.

As the frontier changed, a new generation of artists emerged to capture its unique spirit. Chief among them is Frederic Remington, a robust lover of the outdoors who rode alongside United States cavalry units and lived among cowboys. His energetic illustrations and paintings bring immediate, muscular realism to the hard-riding men of the plains. Remington’s work preserves the era of the open range just as modern inventions like wire fencing begin to eliminate the traditional cowboy way of life. Following Remington’s path, Charles M. Russell brings absolute authenticity to the canvas. Having lived as a Montana cowboy for eleven years, Russell paints with an intimate understanding of range life and Indian customs, working without formal academic training to capture the shifting wilderness.

Concurrently, Charles Schreyvogel overcomes years of poverty and obscurity in Eastern cities to win immediate fame with his dramatic cavalry painting My Bunkie. His detailed depictions of military rescue and frontier clashes further elevate the public's fascination with Western themes. Meanwhile, artists like George de Forest Brush apply rigorous European studio training to the West, using fine draftsmanship to depict the quiet, primitive dignity of Native life rather than violent combat.

The focus eventually shifts southwest to Taos, New Mexico, where artists like E. Irving Couse, Ernest L. Blumenschein, and W. Herbert Dunton establish an art colony. These painters shift away from war scenes to focus on peaceful Pueblo life—capturing weavers, hunters, and musicians against vibrant desert landscapes. The overview concludes by examining how sculptors and muralists continue to draw inspiration from Western motifs, ensuring that the historical memory and artistic power of the frontier endure long after the wild era itself has closed.

How It Unfolds

The early chroniclers set out George Catlin leaves his legal career behind in 1830 to travel the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, sketching primitive Native American life before white settlement alters it forever. William de la M. Cary follows thirty years later, sending home lively magazine illustrations of his perilous trips across the plains.

Action painters capture the open range Frederic Remington brings a vigorous, firsthand authenticity to his depictions of soldiers, Native Americans, and cowboys riding across untamed prairies. Charles M. Russell spends eleven years working as a Montana cowboy, using his deep personal knowledge of range work and sign language to paint wild frontier scenes.

Fame strikes the self-taught illustrator After years of trade apprenticeships and struggle, New Jersey native Charles Schreyvogel wins overnight acclaim when his intense military rescue scene My Bunkie takes top honors at the National Academy of Design. He continues painting dynamic scenes of army and frontier life from his home studio.

Academic masteries bring poetic depth Paris-trained George de Forest Brush uses his classical instruction under Jean-Léon Gérôme to depict the interior, spiritual lives of Native Americans in serene, mysterious wilderness settings. His monumental compositions treat primitive life with quiet reverence and dramatic restraint.

The Taos colony paints peaceful traditions E. Irving Couse and his contemporaries settle in Taos, New Mexico, turning their attention away from combat toward the domestic routines and peaceful rituals of the Pueblo people. Their decorative, color-rich canvases depict pottery makers, hunters, and flute players amidst Southwestern landscapes.

The People

• George Catlin: A former lawyer from Philadelphia who becomes the pioneer painter of Western native life. Driven by a desire to document uncorrupted primitive customs, he travels thousands of miles by canoe and riverboat, compiling a vast visual record of Indian tribes.
• Frederic Remington: An energetic, outdoor-loving artist and writer who rides with cavalry troops and lives among range hands. He seeks to capture the gritty reality of frontier life, defining the popular image of the American soldier and cowboy.
• Charles M. Russell: Known as the "Cowboy Painter," he shuns formal schooling to spend over a decade working on the Montana range. He learns tribal sign language and lives alongside Native Americans, translating his deep personal knowledge of the West into painting and sculpture.
• Charles Schreyvogel: A determined New York-born artist who endures long financial hardship before achieving sudden, massive success with his cavalry scene My Bunkie. He spends his later career creating vivid platinum prints of military and frontier action.
• George de Forest Brush: A highly trained pupil of the French master Gérôme who applies classical technique to Western themes. He seeks to recreate the quiet, primitive world of the aborigines, focusing on human composure and spiritual mystery.
• E. Irving Couse: A Paris-trained painter who falls in love with the Southwest and helps establish the Taos art colony. He builds close relationships with the Pueblo people, capturing their peaceful traditions, crafts, and home life on canvas.

In Its Own Voice

“In art, to be conventional, one must start out penniless.”

The text notes Frederic Remington's cheeky reflection on his abrupt decision to abandon ranching and pursue drawing when his funds ran dry.

“You get my lessons for me, and I will make you two Indians.”

This boyhood proposition from Charles M. Russell illustrates his lifelong indifference to academic routines in favor of creating Western art.

“He kneels in the boat, ‘a figure of monumental composure.’”

*The author highlights the serene, classical dignity George de Forest Brush imparts to the subject of his masterpiece, The Silence Broken.*

What It's Really About

The text explores how art preserves cultural history as a dynamic, fragile wilderness vanishes before modern civilization. Beyond merely cataloging individual painters, the work examines the shift from raw journalistic recording to high artistic interpretation. It highlights how the cowboy, the cavalry trooper, and the Native American transformed from fleeting real-world figures into central icons of American mythology. The author argues that the true value of Western art lies not just in technical execution or academic perfection, but in its historical authenticity and deep reverence for the land. By documenting everyday survival, violent clashes, and peaceful domestic rituals, these artists captured a definitive era of national expansion right as wire fences, army reservations, and rapid settlement permanently altered the landscape.

Why Read It Today

This publication offers a fascinating contemporary window into how turn-of-the-century America viewed its own recently closed frontier. Readers interested in Western history, art appreciation, or the mythos of the American West will appreciate its concise profiles and clear narrative trajectory. The writing carries a warm, accessible authority, balancing artistic commentary with rich biographical anecdotes about artists who were often as colorful as the subjects they painted.

While modern readers will easily spot period-specific perspectives—such as referring to Native Americans as "savages" or romanticizing military campaigns—these elements provide crucial historical context regarding how the 1915 art world evaluated frontier history. The text moves briskly, avoiding overwhelming technical jargon in favor of vivid storytelling. It leaves the reader with a deep appreciation for the physical hardships these painters endured to capture their subjects, reminding us that our collective visual memory of the American West was forged by brave individuals working directly in the open air.