Artist:
N.C. Wyeth
(American, 1882 - 1945)
"Keep him off fur God's sake!" he screamed.
Medium: Probably oil on canvas
Date: 1906
Dimensions:
dimensions unavailable
known by reproduction only
Accession number: SUPP2000.361
Research Number: NCW: 361
InscribedLower left: N. C. WYETH (underlined) / 06 (from reproduction)
References
Illustrated in b/w, The Outing Magazine, vol. XLIX, no. 4 (Jan. 1907), unpaginated Advertiser section, in ad for The Outing Magazine; Betsy James Wyeth, ed., The Wyeths, The Letters of N. C. Wyeth, 1901-1945 (Boston: Gambit, 1971), p. 180; Douglas Allen and Douglas Allen, Jr., N. C. Wyeth, The Collected Paintings, Illustrations and Murals (New York: Crown Publishers, 1972), p. 268; Christine B. Podmaniczky, N. C. Wyeth, A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (London: Scala, 2008), I.150, p. 152
Curatorial RemarksWyeth saw this painting as a milestone in his ability to convey the action of such a scene in diverse elements of the composition. He wrote, "I have endeavored to get the spirit of the fight in the elements of nature rather than in the "fighting action" of the men; in other words I tried to infuse a dreadful ominous feeling into the landscape instead of relying upon physical expression." A lack of sharp contrast and the skewed perspective contribute to the emotional pitch of the composition. He called the painting "so restrained" that even his mother, who criticized the violence in some of his pictures, could like it. (Betsy James Wyeth, ed., p. 180)
When Wyeth delivered this picture to Caspar Whitney at Outing, the editor had Lawrence Mott, the author of the story, there to meet the artist. "He seemingly went wild over my picture, but...he's the biggest damn fool I ever did meet" Wyeth reported (NCW to CBW, Oct. 12, 1906, Wyeth Family Archives).
When Wyeth delivered this picture to Caspar Whitney at Outing, the editor had Lawrence Mott, the author of the story, there to meet the artist. "He seemingly went wild over my picture, but...he's the biggest damn fool I ever did meet" Wyeth reported (NCW to CBW, Oct. 12, 1906, Wyeth Family Archives).
Image Source for printed Catalogue Raisonne:photography from printed image (tear sheet, Brandywine River Museum library)