Remington and Maynard Dixon

Maynard Dixon (internal link) is my favorite western artist. Many consider Remington the best. Perhaps. No one, however, created a better sense of place than Dixon. When asked about Remington’s view of the West, Dixon answered that Remington understood horses. Indeed he did.

Maynard Dixon

Fredric Remington

Update: On The Eye of A Horse

In Remington’s work, the horse’s eye projects distress on the verge of terror. Very similar to the horse ridden by the Knight of Swords. This is from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck. The horse is looking back at this moment, concerned, perhaps wondering what this fanatical, occult driven charge will lead to.

I can’t draw but I sometimes doodle. Years ago I scratched out an attempt at that horse’s eye. It’s a misshapen eye but I got the horse looking back. Question: Are we all looking back in terror?