A FIGURE OF THE NIGHT (THE SENTINEL) BY FREDERIC REMINGTON
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Frederic Remington A Figure of the Night (The Sentinel) 1908 Oil on canvas 30 inches x 21 1/8 inches |
| Rather than dominate the scene, the Indian in A Figure of the Night blends into his environment. One can see him as a lookout, camouflaged by the trees behind, wearing a worried, even timid expression. Perhaps he is a boy doing a man's job. The shadows on the snow in front of him and the dark woods behind encircle him like the jaws of a giant trap. There is imminent danger here and it is up to the viewer looking out from the woods to guess what it might be. The story, in short, is in the viewer's head, not in the picture, and by 1908, in his impressionistic art form, Remington thought that the distinction was everything. |