WHEN WHITE MEN TURN RED BY CHARLES M. RUSSELL
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Charles M. Russell When White Men Turn Red c. 1922 Oil on canvas 24 inches x 36 1/4 inches |
| Russell's compassionate affection for the old-time Westerners left stranded by the advance of civilization extended to the so-called "Squawmen," objects of ridicule and contempt with the passing of the frontier period when red-white unions were common. Russell himself had felt the lure of Indian life and knew that he, like several of his cowboy friends, would have been quick to take an Indian wife had the right woman come along. When White Men Turn Red is the only example in the Sid Richardson Collection of Russell's later work in oils. Its vibrant colors are typical of his palette after 1919. Many reasons have been given for his dramatic change in colors, among them his failing health which gave him a sense of mortality and freedom to experiment with his color range. Perhaps advancing age gave him an almost unbearable longing for the olden times which found expression in the gaudy, flaming oils of his sunset years. |