Thomas R.
Yelp
An art critic I am not, and I know almost nothing about art, but I do know when I like it.
I can tell you that I do the like art of Frederic Remington that is on display at the Sid Richardson Museum. One unforgettable canvas of Remington's is especially haunting: A Taint On The Wind.
The canvas depicts two coachmen driving six horses at night through a western mountain pass. The only light comes from the moon, faint stars, and two lanterns suspended on either side of the coach. As the horses pull the four-wheeled carriage through the darkness of night, one horse at the front of the team is spooked by something on the road and rears up suddenly, mid-gallop.
This shock causes a chain reaction, sending other horses rearing up as well, reacting at different times, and the snapshot of the moment is mesmerizing in the same way that a train wreck is. You don't want to see what happens next, but you can't make yourself look away, either.
Neither could I stop looking at this painting. I am infatuated with this work now. Many thanks to the Sid Richardson Museum for turning me on to the genius that is Frederic Remington and my new favorite work of cowboy art.
Admission to the museum is free, and the gift shop has some cute'n'artsy things for sale. The place is air-conditioned, so you can cool off and take in some great western art, too.