Dimensions: 122.56 x 213.68 cm.

The “cowboy picture” Remington was referring to is A Dash for the Timber, which launched his career as a major painter when it was exhibited to critical acclaim at the National Academy later that year. “This work marks an advance on the part of one of the strongest of our younger artists, who is one of the best illustrators we have,” praised a writer in the New York Herald. “The drawing is true and strong, the figures of men and horses are in fine action, tearing along at a full gallop, the sunshine effect is realistic and the color is good.” Indeed, Remington’s skillful delineation of the horses is a particular artistic triumph; they charge toward the viewer with nostrils flaring and every muscle strained to its limits. The headlong motion of horses and riders seems suspended above patches of cool purple and shadowy blue, contrasting with warmer hues of yellow and orange in the surrounding landscape. The overall effect of the painting is truly cinematic, and the action-filled portrayal of the struggle of life on a dangerous frontier anticipates the many western films that were to follow after the turn of the century, when Remington’s western images were already deeply embedded in the popular imagination. (from the museums homepage)