The Fight in the Forest The battle was now entirely terminated, with the exception of the protracted struggle between Le Renard Subtil and Le Gros Serpent

Intent on establishing himself as a Western artist, Wyeth was keen to interact with Native Americans during his first trip West in 1904. In November, he journeyed through the Indian reservations in southwestern Colorado. His diary, letters, and a group of sensitive pencil portraits document his close observations. With the help of the costumes and props he kept in his studio, Wyeth drew on his experiences to become a noted illustrator of Native American life, especially during the first decade of his career. Yet as the second decade of his career closed, Wyeth, by then an acclaimed illustrator of novels of adventure and romance, adopted a much less realistic view of Native Americans. The Fight in the Forest is primarily a celebration of action and color, not sensitivity or accuracy.