Edward S. Curtis
Curtis website 1
Curtis website 2
Curtis website 3
Albert Bierstadt
Bierstadt website 1
Bierstadt website 2
George Catlin
Catlin website 1
Catlin website 2
Thomas Moran
Moran website 1
Moran website 2
Frederic Remington
Remington website 1
Remington website 2
Use what you learn from these sites to write at least one paragraph (6 to 12 sentences) that includes your response to the following questions. In your paragraph, site the name and date (if available) of at least one work from each artist to prove your points.
- Do you think these artists tell the "truth" about the American West?
- How do you think these images influenced public opinion about the west?
- What purposes were these pictures meant to serve?
-Miss Albrecht
91 comments:
I think that these artists definitely tell the truth about the west because unless they had a really good imagination they couldn’t think of so well detailed pictures. I think that they would have to be able to see what they would want to draw before they would draw it. Looking at Edward S. Curtis’ pictures of the Native Americans I would think that people would get the idea that they were very violent because, every picture of his was of a Native American shooting something or hunting something or being cruel to an animal and what not. I think the purpose that the pictures served, other then showing how incredibly talented these artists were, was to show how beautiful a land could be was to show what really had to go on for people to live, such as Native Americans hunting down buffalo for food.
I think the websites and picture show the truth because they are showing the past about the indians in the oldwest.I believe that the pictures have influence people because many are very interested in our history of the old west. And i feel they can influence many other people by positivley describing how inportant our country was before technology and cars. Images of an Idyllic Past(November 19, 1999 - February 12, 2000) by Edward S. Curtis show the traditions, daily life,and customs that they live by. His pictures show his passionate responses he has towards the indians.
i think that the artists definitely protrayed the west in the right way. each artists ahd their own style but they all gave the same message. all of them have influenced people by showing what the true west looked like. it used to be just open free land where the indians worked and the buffalo ran. Bierstadt said, " The wagon, the horses, and the rider are suspended in space somewhere in the open-ended plains." the puposes of these images was to show how the west was before we came. You couls see endless plains and gigantic mountains with animals roaming free. That was the old beautiful west.
I think that the artists are depicting a very realistic picture of the west from the indiands point of view. It is a different is the truth about the west before the bloody battles. I think these imagies have influeneced the public opinon to see both sides to the story. such as in "the hopi snake preist" (1907) this depicted a more peacful idea of the west. On the other hand Bierstadts "thunderstorm in the rocky mountains." (1859) Depicts a more tormoil. I think that these pictures were ment to serve multiple purposes. One is to offer truth and some regulartiy in a bloody past, like in Caitlins picture "After the buffalo chase" (1861) showed the normal lives of the indians, uniterupted by settlers. Or "Early years" (1837) by Moron, which shows the begiining and peace. On the other hand, the pictures show the continuing belif of how violent the west was in Remingtons "Dash for timber" Overall these pictures gave the viewers two sides to think about, and also allowed us to follow the continuation of the story of the old west.
-Julia Goodell
Hour 3
I think that overall these artists show realistic images of the old west. One reason I think these pictures are accurate is because some of them are photographs so unless they were set up they are accurate(Hopi Snake Priest. 1907). one the other hand some paintings seem to be too peacful and perfect, like Thunderstorm in the Rocky Mountains(1859). but many of the artists show peaceful settings in there paintings. i think they do this to show that it was a pretty place to live despite it being hard. this means that these pictures could have givin false hope for people coming from the east, because they could have thoguht it was better than what it actually was. these pictures were ment to srve the same as anyother painting,to show the nice landscape of the American west.
Alex Gillespie, Hour 3
i agree with joe that these atrists show the old west well but i think they also tried to make it more serien then it actually is like in the pictures of the native americans in curtis's first pictures. i believe these artists tried to make the west look better then it was so people dont think it was like all wild and crap. i think the pictures made the reader feel the real beauty of the land
The Edward S Curtis took pictures of Indians, in deep detail.Some background on him is he loves photography very skilled at it, takes great pictures of the indians and the west.and just kind of the evolution of the tribe.
Albert Bierstadt made beautiful scenery paintings, which show that the west had its great views, and that it wasn't just all violent. So far these images from these guys are showing a good side of the west, like theres indian tribes, and great scenery..George Catlin made some great paitings showing sort of the back ground on indians, and their way of life. Like he has these pictures of indians hunting buffalo, and some indians at war with maybe an other indian tribe.. Paintings are in great detail.Again show a more of indian way of life.Thomas Moran paintings said to have helped secure yellowstone and grand canyon national parks..and last but not least Frederic Remington who in his carreer made over 3,000 + paintings..More of a cowboy way of life point of view.. in all they are all good artist, with great paintings..
~ Juan A. 3RD hour Gens..
Zach Matos
Hour 3
all of the artists do tell the truth about the west. whether they were representing the indians life style, the cowboys and braves, or the landscape of the untouched west. i think that these images influenced the public opinion in a positive way for the most part. the landscape was beautiful and they showed the peacefulness of the natives. the only part that might of scared the people off is the hunt of the indians. the purposes of these pictures is to show the public the pleaseres of the west. also to prove that it wasn't a violent place it was a place of beauty and interest.the main purpose of all the pictures or paintings was to draw interest to the public about the old west
Edward Curtis has many Indian and nature pictures. Albert Bierstadt draws colorful pictures of long strips of land. George Catlin has pictures of Indians also, and some of the titles say that the tribe was an Ojibwa tribe. Thomas Moran took pictures of the west, and had other pictures of the desert. The pictures did not have much color. Frederic Remington has painted many pictures of cowboys shooting at things, and wagons on fire. I think all the artists have there own point of view of what was going on. I think some had more dangerous encounters than others. Yes, the pictures showed killings, Indians and the land, and I think that is what the west was mainly made up of. Some of the pictures were made to show the bad things that were going on in the west at the time, and some were made to show the beautiful landscape the west had.
Edward Curtis makes the west look like a wasteland (Offering The Pipe To The Skull-Cheyenne, 1910). Everyone looks poor and there are a lot of indians. His work tells the truth because they are photographs. George Catlin's paintings are similar to Curtis's photos except they have color and dont make the prople look dirt poor. Those would influence people to think that the west is a dirty wasteland(East Side of Walpi, 1921). The purpose that Thomas Moran's painting serves is to make the west look like a glorious place. The painting has trees and a waterfall and is a lot different than Catlin's and Curtis's work (Tower Falls, 1872). Eric Williamson
I think that these aritsts do tell the truth about the old west. I don't think they had any reason not to be truthful. Also many of these images were photographs and its hard to lie about that. Some of the paintings I felt were not as accurate, they seemed to be to calm. I think it influences public opinion by showing the raw images about real life and traditions. Edward S. Curtis I felt did a good job of capturing the tradtions of the native americans. These pictures were meant to serve as a device to learn more about how life was in the old west. And I think they were successful in doing so because between the photos and paintings you were able to see more than one side of the west, and then you can put these sides together to get the full picture.
Jenna Klein, Hour 3
i think that the artists created a realistic view of the west, with a slight amount of bias. Curtis' photo, The North American Indian 1906, is just a picture of average life of an Indian. Bierstadt's painting, Looking Down Yosimite Valley, California 1865, shows the amount of creative license used when creating the painting with the lighting in the background. In Catlin's painting War Dance of the Apachees, he paints a regular indian ritual from their life. i think that the paintings made the public believe that indians were people who were very violent with all of the war paintings, such as Three Shoshonee Warriors Armed for War, 1861/1869. most of these pictures were used to show the eastern public what was happening in the west and what the indians were like, such as remington's Victory Dance.
The following artists use their talents to illustrate how the old west used to be. Edward S. Curtis has a variety of black and white vintage photos of Indians and nature. Albert Bierstadt has very colorful photographs of Indians, pioneers and nature of the old west. George Catlin has many pictures of the Indian culture and of buffalo. Thomas Moran has a variety of pictures that express the nature of the west and the pioneers who explored it. Frederic Remington has many photographs of cowboys on their horses shooting at each other and at Indians. I think that all of these photos express the truth of the west because they illustrate the cultures of the Indians and the settlers during that time. I agree that these photos influence the public opinion because when you think of the west you think about guns, cowboys and Indians in duels and these pictures communicate all that. These pictures are meant to give the public and idea of the violence that went on and how beautiful the landscape was.
these artists really spek the truth about the west. these artists are creative and are verry talented with there art. if feeels to me that they pictured it in there minds befor the put it on paper. Edward S Curtis' first picture of the native american you can see how violent it was in the west. in his art there are always a violent seens. i tnink the purpose showed what american indeins have to do to servive in the wild....
I thought that the artists portrayed it in an accurate way. Edward S. Curtis seemed to picture them right, maybe a little uncivilized. He often pictured them in a violent manner or made it seem that way (Indians with war paint, hunting that could be seen as barbariac by the public in those days). Some of those pictures could influence the Americans the wrong way because of some of the pictures depictions, thus widening the gap between the two groups of people. The moajority, in my opinion, was probably correct.
Edward Curtis makes the west look like a wasteland (Offering The Pipe To The Skull-Cheyenne, 1910). Everyone looks poor and there are a lot of indians. His work tells the truth because they are photographs. George Catlin's paintings are similar to Curtis's photos except they have color and dont make the prople look dirt poor. Those would influence people to think that the west is a dirty wasteland(East Side of Walpi, 1921). The purpose that Thomas Moran's painting serves is to make the west look like a glorious place. The painting has trees and a waterfall and is a lot different than Catlin's and Curtis's work (Tower Falls, 1872). Eric Williamson
I think, the only one of the photos that really interested me was the one of the Hopi snakes dancer. At first I didn’t understand it until I read the text on the side. They, like, hold a snake in their mouth, that’s intense. I think Edward S. Curtis kind of hid what they really are, I don’t know. Maybe he was like trying to soften their image a little because a photo of an Indian with a snake in their mouth would scare them. I suppose, he’s trying to show that they’re a peaceful kind of people and what not. I don’t think that his pictures would change anyone’s opinion of them, but it might sway a few. I think the photos are to show (his) people another side of the Indians. Maybe he’s trying to show people that they are not like what white’s think they are.
(Edward S. Curtis
Hopi Snake Priest
circa 1907)
Isabella Bushay
period 3
Sept.14, 2007
I think that it is true, especially the painting from George Catlin, and Frederic Remington. Because it shows how violence, and killing animals, and so many cruel things they did to the animals, and killing each other. Many paintings include a lot of the cowboys riding horses, and chasing animals. The others like Edward S. Curtis paint a picture of how the people was like, and show the life of the west in a way that this place is not a violence place. Albert Bierstadt paints a picture about the landscape of the west. Thomas Moran also painted the pictures about the landscape also.
I think that these pictures make the people thinks that the west is a bad place to be. If you go there you will be like them killing people and hunting animals. It makes you think that these pictures give a bad influence to the younger kids, and if the kids imitate it, it is not going to be a good thing in the future.
To show how was the west like in the past, and how the lives are, and what kind of people is that. They would said also that the people who are living there is mostly an Indian tribes.
Panod Srisinsuphya
Hour 3
In my oppinion the artists are telling ther truth about the west. The pictures they showed were very indepth and elaborate to all the information they gave. When i was looking at Edward S. Curtis' my first impressions of that is that the west was violent coming from some of the photos of the Native Americans shooting and hunting. These pictures showed a different side of the west in my oppinion. It showed how plentifull the land is as well how great of artists these individuals are.
I would have to say that the artwork of these artists do tell the truth about the american west, especially Edward S. Curtis' pictures, George Catlin's paintings, and Frederic Remington's work. Most of the artwork showed the violence in the west, the beautiful sceneary, and the lifestyle of the indians. The opinions that these images influenced on people were that the west was a wild, violent, and crazy place to be. The artists created this artwork to let everyone know what is going on in the world.
These Pictures relly show how life was in the old west. These pictures do show the american west how it was like Fredric Remington's picture Fall of the Cowboy. The picture A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie, by Albert Bierstadt made the public feel relaxed about the west. The picture Alaeutian Chief and Two Warriors by the George Catlin made the feel proud about the Native Americans. These Pictures were meant to show how the native americans lived like Images of an Idyllic Past by Edward S. Curtis. And the Photograph of F.V. Hayden by Thomas Moran shows what the cowboys were like.
Gary Bondarevsky 3rd Hour
Edward S. Curtis’s art is based on Native American life; “Hopi Snake Priest” is an example of this. Albert Bierstadt’s art is more about landscapes like in “Surveyor's Wagon in the Rockies,” c. 1859. George Catlin’s art depicts Native American chiefs and warriors Such as “An Aged Ojibwa Chief and Three Warriors”. Thomas Moran’s art represents the areas which the Native Americans lived like in “The Wonders of Yellowstone”. Frederic Remington’s art is centered around cowboys on a ranch as depicted in “Fall of the Cowboy”. Since most of the artists lived in that time era they probably told the truth. It influenced the public opinion by showing them the Wild West. They were meant to serve as a teaching aid.
i think that the artist tell the truth about the American West but not all of the truth. like some history books they leave out minor details. i also think that some of the pictures were poofed up to make them look alot worse than it was. they would do that because it would make more people interested in the wild west and to make it seem like a much more dangerous time. i think images influence public opinons about the west by making it seem alot worse or like good times. they could do this by desrcribing an event out to be alot worse than it really was or keep out details to make it seem better. the pictures were probably meant to serve a purpose of telling a portion of the history of the old west to younger people.
Edward S. Curtis’ art shows what a Native American looked like in the Wild West-“Hopi Snake Priest”, 1982
Albert Bierstadt depicted the beauty of mother nature in the Wild West-“Thunder storm in the Rocky Mountains”,1859
George Catlin based his drawing on the physical activities of Native Americans-“Buffalo chase”,1844
Thomas Moran showed the beauty of the Rocky mountains and the yelowstone canyon –“yellowstone canyon”, 1920
Frederic Remington drew pictures of the common life styles of the Native American and cowboys in travel or hunting-“Cavalryman’s breakfast on the Plains”, 1902
I think that that these artists did tell the truth about the American West because they showed the beauty of the West and how people lived during those times like Thomas Moran drawings of the yellowstone canyon and the rocky mountains during the spring season. Also Frederic Remington’s paintings of the common lifestyles of the Native American as well as the common soldier and resident, showed how the people lived and not about wars or fights, but the simple truth of how people went through their normal day. Edward S. Curtis drawings of a normal hopi snake priest is fairly accurate.
Edward S. Curtis: Edward S. Curtis tells the truth about the American West by showing how it affected the Native Americans. He took photographs of very important Indian Leaders, and many Native American tribes. By taking these photographs Curtis opens the public’s eyes to the treatment of Native Americans by the settlers in the “old American west.” Not very many photographers showed how Native Americans were affected by the settlers.
Albert Bierstadt: Albert Bierstadt painted magnificent portraits of the landscape of “the old American west.” He does a wonderful job of showing the vast amount of space of the old west. Because most people lived in condensed urban areas at the time, Bierstadt opens the public’s eye to what the “old west” really looks like,” no roads, and miles upon miles of bare, desolate prairies and deserts.
George Catlin: George Catlin mainly painted Native Americans interacting with the wildlife of the “old west.” By painting this, Catlin shows two things: 1) How Native Americans survived and interacted, and 2) the types of wildlife living in the old west. Catlin shows the public that buffalo and horses run rampant in this new land. Catlin also shows the public that Native Americans don’t just grow maze, they also have advanced hunting techniques.
Thomas Moran: Thomas Moran chronicles the Old West over 100 years. He does a superb job of showing the public how much the old west change. From the peace and tranquility in the early years (1827-1870) to the settlers coming and taking away the beauty and developing the west into a violent and working area. Moran shows how much the settlers affected the west.
Frederic Remington: Frederic Remington is the only artist out of the five to really focus on the cowboys of the “old west” He shows the public the harsh weather conditions these cowboys have to endure. He also shows that cowboys were a major cause for much of the violence in the “old west,” with wars between cowboys and Native Americans being painted. He shows how cowboys lived and what they did on a day-to-day basis.
By looking at the work of Edward S. Curtis, he seemed to have told the “truth” about the American West. The majority of his paintings all showed Native Americans in the process of hunting, though he did have several that focused on more of the landscape and environment of the Old West. I think these images influenced the public’s opinion in a positive way, by coming off as a very peaceful and a kind environment for the most part. By looking at the pictures of the land and open plains you can get a pretty good idea of what it would have been like to live there, and the surroundings they had. Though those that looked and saw only the Native American’s and the weapons may generate a different viewpoint of the Old West. Another way that it could have influenced public opinion is by encouraging them want to travel to these places, and learn more about how the Old West really was. One purpose that these pictures served was to show how beautiful the land of the Old West truly was. Also, they may have been intended to give people an idea of the real violence that went on back then, and just what people had to do to survive under those conditions.
The work of Thomas Moran seemed to capture the truth of the American West, but maybe in a different way. His paintings showed the scenery and landscape more than the violence and hunting by the Native Americans. I think these images influenced the public’s perspective of the Old West by maybe encouraging a visit, showing the beautiful waterfalls, rivers, open plains, and mountains. A purpose that these pictures served was to create a better picture for the viewers and help them to understand how the real Old West really was.
Edward S. Curtis: His work “The North American Indian” portrays the Indian population as very peaceful and very preserved. This is a pretty accurate picture of what would be thought of the old west. This picture probably made the public view Indians in a more peaceful way than maybe they even were, but you can definitely tell that the artist was defending the Indians. The picture was made to show the Indians in a more peaceful setting than in most other pictures.
Albert Bierstadt: In his portrait “Yosemite Valley” created in 1886, he shows a valley that is how you would imagine the west where the Indians would have lived. This photo probably convinced the people of other towns that the west isn’t as violent as it is made out to be. The main purpose of this work of art is to show beautiful scenery without the violence of the old west involved.
George Catlin: “Taming Wild Horses” shows an Indian training a horse which is what I imagine they did because they needed the horses to get around faster. I think it shows the truth of how intelligent the Indians were and how resourceful they were. This showed the public what the Indians did to survive and how they did it. The purpose of the picture is to show Indian culture in a less formal way- a probably day to day thing.
Thomas Moran: In one of his pictures it shows 2 white men that look like settlers and a little Indian child coexisting. The artist wasn’t telling the truth because in the west there was a lot of violence between settlers and Indians because of the struggle over land. This picture is trying to persuade the public that they were peaceful together when they weren’t really. The purpose for this picture is to make the west seem like a peaceful place- which it was and was not at the same time.
Frederic Remington: In his painting “Victory Dance” it shows a crowd of Indians coming back on horses probably from a battle. This shows the truth about how there were certain battles that the Indians won and probably ones that the settlers won. This shows the public that the Indians were more of a threat than they thought considering the name of the painting was Victory Dance. This picture serves the purpose of displaying the joy of winning a battle in the old west.
Edward S. Curtis-
I think that Curtis does tell the truth about the west. They show the daily life of Native Americans. Theses images may influence people about the west. People could view it in a negative and positive way. The purpose of theses pictures is to show people the everyday Indian life. It shows how they live and what they wore.
Albert Bierstadt-
I think that Bierstadt does show the truth about the American West. He shows the beauty of the landscape. He also shows Indians in their nature habitat. Theses images most likely influence people to move out to the west, because it is so pretty. People will see them then want to live out there. Theses images purpose is to show the surroundings of the west, so people will move out there.
George Catlin-
These images that Catlin shows do tell the truth about the west. It shows the Indians hunting buffalo and their dance and things. This could influence people in a negative way by them seeing how rough and somewhat bloody Indian life in the west. People could think that Indians are savages. The purpose of theses pictures is to show the Indian way of life. How the hunt and celebrate.
Thomas Moran-
Theses images do show the truth about the west but they are kind of played up. It makes you think it is way more beautiful than it might be in real life. Theses painting thought will influence people to come live out in the west. They will think it is very beautiful and peaceful. They purpose of these paintings is to display the beauty in the west. And to hopefully have people come out there to live.
Frederic Remington-
In Remington’s paintings I think that he doesn’t necessarily show the truth about the west. I think that he plays it up a little too much. I think he want to influence people that the west is a crazy place full of adventure and fighting. Which it could be, but maybe not as much as he shows. People could be a little worried that moving out to the west that there will be too many fights against the Indians and the cowboys. Theses picture were meant to serve more what people want to imagine what the west is like.
Edward S. Curtis
I think that Edward Curtis’ photographs really do show the truth about the American West. His pictures show daily life of the Native Americans. He showed many different Indian populations. There are many pictures of important Indian leaders. His pictures may influence people by showing them that there are many Indians out West. The purposes of his pictures was to show what Indians lived like. From their clothing to their leaders it shows the Indian lifestyle.
Albert Bierstadt
I feel that his pictures do tell the truth about the west. They show the landscape and surroundings. They show how the west is big and doesn’t have many people living out there. When the public looks at these pictures they realize the beauty of the west. He also showed Indians in their environment. These pictures are meant to make people move out west.
George Catlin
I think that these paintings do tell the truth about the West. He mainly focused on Animals and Indians in his paintings. He shows how Indians get food and survive. To people looking at these pictures they would think of the West as unsettled. These pictures are meant to show how the American Indians live.
Thomas Moran
Tomas Moran does a good job of showing what the American West is like. He mainly did paintings of landscape. He did a good job of making the paintings realistic. He did many paintings of mountains. This would make people think that the west was very elegant and beautiful. These paintings were meant to show the landscape of the west.
Frederic Remington
I do not think that he did a good job at showing what the west looked like. He did way to many pictures of horses and people. These are in the more populated areas. What about the scenery. This made people think that the west was only for cowboys. These pictures are meant to show how rugged the west was.
I liked buffalo chase because it was an amazing piece of art. And final years were just as amazing as the waterfall was speechless. It was very pretty picture that was amazingly drawn with great passion. Thunder in the Rocky Mountains was amazing picture of the Rocky Mountains and the sky was just breathing taking and speechless.
Mountains and Forrest landscape was a beautiful picture of what the Forrest and mountains used to look like before the building of houses and companies all around it was just a great piece over all. These artists really do a good job on showing how the west uses to look like in the old days.
Fredric Remington did a really good job showing how the Indians might celebrate a victory after a battle in the old west in the picture Victory Dance. And his Dash for the Timbers was a very good one showing how the Indians might have scared the white folk away in a battle against the Indians and the white folk.
Curtis Edward did a good job with the picture At the Old Well it was very accurate on how the Indians got there water from the old well and there struggles. There artists pictures were very accurate on how the life’s were on what they would do in there daily life and some of there emotions.
Was made by some guy and final years were just as amazing as the waterfall was speechless. It was very pretty picture that was amazingly drawn with great
The author Edward S. Curtis seems to have a positive look on the west, he explores the simple beauties and wonders of the new found west. In many of his pictures he shows peaceful settings on flowing streams and rolling hills. In one picture he shows an Indian quietly paddling down stream with trees and flowers in the back ground. But his main focus is on the Native American community. He has countless pictures of them canoeing, hiking, and doing simple chores of an everyday sequence in an Indians day. I also noticed most of his pictures were of stand stills or slow moving shots. Over all Edward S. Curtis was in favor of a peaceful and young growing west.
Albert Bierstadt was a photographer of the west as well but his focuses differed from Edward S. Curtis’s. His main idea and images focused on the wildlife of the American west. In many of his shots is the beautiful scenery, for Example Mountains, sunsets, or towering waterfalls. Also he includes the specific animals and there habitats such as, the moose, elk, or other prairie animals. Another thing I noticed was in the titles of his pictures because I noticed almost all of the regions where he took them were in what now are national parks which shows why6 we need to protect them to preserve there natural beauties.
George Caitlin had his own style of pictures and drawing unlike the two above his pictures were made for a more excited reader. The reason I say this is because a fair number of his pictures I include moments and intense images. Some specifics being buffalo dances, buffalo hunts, antelope shooting which are all intense and would keep a fan on their heels. I myself would prefer his pictures over the others because I am I fats moving guy and don’t like slow pictures so the fast movements would captivate me and keep me interested. His main idea of the west is that it is an exciting place and a place one would like to go explore.
Thomas Moran was similar to Albert Bierstadt in ways like he focused on the scenery and its beauty. He focused on the mountains and rivers and sunrises or thundering waterfalls. His pictures might encourage people top travel to the west and explore its natural surroundings. His pictures would most likely appeal to a peaceful and outdoors men who like to spend time alone and think. The way he reveals his work is also interesting because he has such detailed shots that u wouldn’t see on any ordinary day.
Frederic Remington Is different from the other entire artist because his pictures focus the cowboys of the west and their lifestyles. His pictures show cowboys, horses, chases rodeos and fight scenes with Indians. His pictures are for a more exciting audience with action and intense scenes. This makes him similar to George Caitlin in that it is more pictures of people rather than scenery life the other artists. Bu unlike Caitlin he focuses on cowboys as apposed to Indians, which might say he was for a more Americanized west and a new begging. it also shows he wanted to show people pictures of Americans in the west which might encourage people to move there because they know there will be fellow settlers there.
The paintings of Edward S. Curtis, George Catlin and Albert Bierstadt show large open plains, some show the nice sceneries with buffalo running and Indian’s sitting peacefully. Tomas Monroe also paints many types of scenery but his taken on a darker look than the other artists. The last artist is Fredrick Remington photos which show more of the American’s coming into the Indian’s land. From seeing these pictures you can see when people from these outside invade this land, violence occurs between the two communities. These paintings are really elaborate on the actions that took place which is why I believe the artists were telling the truth. All had truthful images but each one focused in on some aspects of the old West (plains, Indians vs. Cowboys) versus the others.
Some of these paintings are supposed to show the gorgeous sceneries and open plains; the Indian’s living in piece with each other. These images show the public how the west was peaceful and beautiful encouraging the public eye. However once you see Fredrick Remington’s collection of photos it shows a harsh reality. When the Indian and American culture were mixed together. It seems exciting but also very violent. So the different artists want the public eye to see different attributes of the West.
These paintings were the first representation of the south. Before these paintings the only things from the west were stories and these pictures let the public eye know the truth about what was going on. Edward S. Curtis, George Catlin and Albert Bierstadt also showed them of the unknown open lands that the Old west had. These are the purpose of these pictures.
Edward S. Curtis. I think that Edward is trying to send the message that the west was not very violent. He uses pictures of Indians doing peaceful stuff to get his message across. The public opinion of the west probably changed quite a bit because there isn’t any violence in any of his pictures. Curtis probably was trying to get everyone to get along with each other. His pictures helped others understand what the daily life of an Indian was, for example; the picture Images of an Idyllic Past, shows a frame of what the daily life of an Indian was.
Albert Bierstadt used his paintings to show the large and vast amounts of nothingness in the Great Plains. I think he was telling the truth through his paintings and trying to get the message of how lonely it can be. If it influenced public opinion, it probably would have made people bring a friend with them. The paintings also didn’t show a lot of violence which probably wasn’t true. I think that these pictures were meant to discourage people from traveling to the great planes by themselves. In the picture, Surveyor’s Wagon in the Rockies (1859), it shows a wagon heading into nothingness which is getting the point across that it can be very lonely.
George Catlin. I think that George was telling the truth about how the Indians lived their lives. If the images influence anyone, it showed them how efficient the Indians could be at killing buffalo. It probably was trying to get the message out that the Indians are very organized and very smart in the ways of supplying food and creating weapons to kill buffalo. In the picture, After the Buffalo chase (1861), it shows a string of dead buffalo that seems to be endless, and one tribe did it.
Thomas Moran. I think the sole purpose of Thomas’ artwork was to show the beauty of the west and that could be true in some places, and for some not. The purpose of these images was probably to influence the public opinion and show the beauties of the west. They probably worked too. His objective was definitely not to scare the public into not going to the west so; they showed ‘pretty’ images. If you look at his final works, one of the paintings, Cliff Dwellers (1899), shows a ton of landscape and emphasizes the ‘beauty’ of the rocks with bright colors.
Frederic Remington was not telling the complete truth about the west. He does have a lot of excitement in his work but there probably weren’t that many people in some of his pictures. He probably added some for excitement and I doubt that the people in the pictures were smiling. He probably influence the public opinion in a way that made them think it was fun to go out and shoot ‘em up. The purpose of these pictures was to show the excitement that was going on in the west. I.e. Dash for Timber looked like an exciting picture, but it didn’t show any tragedies in the picture. It was for the good things and not the bad.
In my opinion, George Catilin captured the West in his art called “After the Buffalo Chase – Sioux” Very well. It shows the Great plains of the West after cowboys have hunted, showing a lot of dead buffalo’s. I think this picture got the picture that the West was a desert land with a dangerous animals like buffalo all over the place. This picture was made to show the emptiness of the West. Also to show the animal life and lack of plant like.
Frederic Remington’s picture called “Smoke Signals” also captures the West well. It is a picture of an Indian tribe gathered around a fire sending off smoke signals. I think this influenced other people that the West was very technologically deficient. It got the idea that the only way of communication was through smoke signals. The purpose of this photo is to show the lack of technology in the West and that there are many Indians in that area.
Thomas Moran’s picture “Cliff Dwellers” shows the West accurately. It shows the Mountainous terrain with little vegetation. Although we know that not the entire West is like this. This is getting the picture of again, the vast emptiness of the West. I think it is saying that there isn’t really any good places to live in the West although it is beautiful there. I think that this picture is made to make people not want to live there because of all the Rocky terrain. Also because of the little vegetation and lack of water.
Albert Bienstalds picture “Cho-Lake, Yosemite Falls” depicts the west very well. It is a picture of a group of Cowboys camping in the West by a waterfall. This is my favorite picture. This picture makes people want to move West. At least the cowboys. I think it was made to get people to go to the West for the nice scenery. This is my favorite picture.
Edward s. Cutis has a picture called “Eastside of Walpi.” I don’t think that he shows the West as it was because all of his pictures are only of Indians. I think that all of his work makes people think that only Indians live out there. I think because people put the Idea that Indians are violent, people won’t want to move out there. I think this picture was made to make us feel bad about killing off all the Indians.
Edward s. Curtis’s
I think that the picture is telling the truth because, the pictures are very detailed, and it would be pretty difficult to imagine it looking that realistic. Edward s. Curtis’s pictures shows mainly violent scenes and they give us a look into what life would be like at that time period. We could tell how difficult life was back then, having to hunt buffalo and gathering plants to eat.
Albert Bierstadt
I believe that he did show the truth because he used dark colors to represent the tough times that actually was happening. He uses dark colors to show the mood of the time period. Also he shows how beautiful the land was before too many settlers came into their land. He also uses vivid colors to highlight the key parts and importance of his paintings. He especially shows this in the Cho-Looke, Yosemite Falls painting with the water fall being more vivid colors. His favorite subject to paint is the landscapes of various places.
George Catlin
I believe he showed the truth, because he showed how violent hunting was, but at the same time he just showed regular activities of Indians at the time. George Catlin paints the various activities of Indians. In his After the Buffalo Chase - Sioux, 1861/1869 painting, it depicts at least 30 buffalo dead after an Indian chase. He uses darker colors to show the emotion of the action.
Thomas Moarn
On most of his pictures he uses dark colors to represent the old west being depressing. He uses a lot of darker reds, which could be put in place for violence. The pictures he painted were painted to show the depressing times of the old west.
I think Curtis’s pictures are pretty accurate considering they’re actual photographs. They are probably more artsy than real life, so they’re probably not perfectly accurate. I think they influenced people’s opinions. I think they helped people understand the Native American culture a little bit more, too. They probably served an artistic purpose rather than a real life purpose. I could see them more as decoration than as a picture to get information from.
I think Bierstadt’s pictures are accurate because they mostly show landscapes/scenery. I don’t really think there would be any reason to show any biased in scenery. Seeing these pictures make me think the West is really scenic and pretty. I think the pictures would make people want to visit it. I think the pictures were meant to have people enjoy the nature in the West. Otherwise I don’t think they serve any other purpose.
Edward S. Curtis: Edward S. Curtis showed pictures of the Native Americans and published them and opened the eyes of the Americans to that group. In the film “Century of Photography” was mentioned, that he wanted the Natives to look like he wants them to. He gave them special accessories (like clothes, Curtis thought they would be typical) to look authentic. I don’t think that his pictures show the truth. It’s only what the civilest wanted to see. His photographs were shown in many magazines and those people, who saw the pictures, thought that they tell the truth. The pictures only showed how the Natives “live” (Curtis wanted them to live like that) and nothing about violence or the conflicts between the soldiers and the Natives.
The photographs wanted to make an ideal picture of the Native Americans, how they live, what they wear and things like that.
Albert Bierstadt: Albert Bierstadt’s paintings show the nature in the west and how the inhabitants live there. I think that he concentrated more on the nature than on the relationship between the Natives and the settlers. It could be the truth and I believe that these landscapes he painted were very remote from the bigger towns and cities. The drawings could have been used as advertisement because they showed very peaceful landscape and there is no hint about more inhabitants in towns and cities.
I think that it was the peacefulness and the silence in the remote areas he wanted to show.
George Catlin: The paintings show how the Natives hunt and care about the buffalos, the other animals and the nature. I think that the pictures show the truth and they are really realistic.
Perhaps he wanted to show the Native’s way of hunting, their way of living and caring about the nature to the Americans. He wanted them to think about how the Americans hunt, how they care about their nature and how they live. He wanted to stress the difference.
Thomas Moran: Thomas Moran wanted to make as realistic paintings as possible. I think that his drawings tell the truth because the comparisons to photos of the same places were so agreeing to his paintings.
1. Edward S. Curtis
Edward S. Curtis is a very interesting photographer. Most of his pictures have to do with the Native American population in the Old West. A lot of his work is done in sepia (brownish-gray). These photographs do tell the truth and provide much information about the American West. One of Curtis’s main goals was to help others understand the traditional life and culture of the Native Americans in the West. These photographs influence the public to believe that the Native Americans were a very spiritual and unique group of people. The purpose of these photographs was to hold onto the history of the Native Americans and prove that they truly were an essential group in America’s history. These photographs can also be used a learning tools for future generations to come.
2. Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt is an extremely talented painter. His main focus is scenery; capturing the beauty of various locations around the world. He has a great of contracting colors and making things fir together to make the picture beautiful. His paintings are realistic. His works absolutely tell the truth about the American West. These paintings influence people to think that the outside world is a peaceful, wonderful place. They also influence people to preserve the natural beauty of the world around us. The purpose of these painting is to display images of nature.
3. George Catlin
George Catlin is an entertaining painter. His work portrays that the American West was a very harsh place to live and that you were on your own, had to find a way to survive. One of his paintings shows a Native American shooting at a herd of antelope (Antelope Shooting - Assinneboine, 1861/1869). He wants to influence viewers to think that the West was violent. The American West was violent, but to the extent that people think. These paintings are bending the truth a bit. The reason these paintings were done was to show some of the hatred and violence that occurred in the Old West.
4. Thomas Moran
Thomas Moran was a painter and photographer. He had the most variety in his work. He did stuff with both scenes and people. He went between black and white, and color. He work was very real and convincing.
Edward S. Curtis
I think that Curtis does show the truth of the west. He shows the Indians and what their culture is like and how they live. He shows them getting ready for special dances. He also shows the landscape and how dry and rocky it was. An example of this is his work, Walpi Portfolio12 Plate 410 circa 1907. These images influence people by showing the Indians and their way of life before we took over their land. It makes people think about what happened to them and realize what the west was like before the United States took over. These pictures are meant to inform the viewer of what the culture of the Great Plains Indians was like , and what the west looked like.
Albert Bierstadt
Bierstadt shows the landscaping truth of the west. His paintings draw attention to the landscape and make you want to go there. Otherwise the paintings give off an Oregon Trail feel to the viewer. The paintings show the wagons and of people traveling across rivers like in Bierstadt’s Survivors wagon in the Rockies circa 1859. The painting influence people to believe that the west was like the Oregon Trail game and that people were going through extreme conditions to get there. These pictures were meant to show people the landscape of the west of how it used to be before the west became civilized.
George Catlin
I think that Caitlin does show the truth about the west. His paintings show the natural culture of the west. It shows the Indians doing spiritual dances, and the buffalo roaming around the plains. The images influenced people to believe that the west was were the Indians and buffalo ran around like in Caitlin’s Plate Five: Buffalo Hunt, Chase circa 1895. It shows how the west was before it was civilized and it makes people think that only Indians lived in the west. These pictures were meant to show how the Indians lived and what the west was like before people started to move out to the west.
Thomas Moran
Moran does tell the truth about the west. He shows the original beauty of the landscape with out the effects of society. In his paintings he shows how if you ventured out into the west, you would find the landscape like in his paintings.
kelsey moarn 4th hour
1. Edward Curtis was a photographer in the 1880’s. I think he was telling the truth about the American West. Basically, he took pictures of Indians from the West to help people understand their traditional life and culture. He wanted to document their way of life before they disappeared. I think these pictures influenced public opinion in many ways. One way is that it showed that Native Americans were peaceful and spiritual. These photographs showed that Native Americans were not violent.
2. Albert Bierstadt was a painter in the 1850’s. He traveled to the Old West and painted the scenery. I think that he was telling the truth because he actually traveled there. When people look at these paintings, they see how beautiful the American West was.
3. George Catlin mostly painted Native Americans. In most of the paintings, they were carrying weapons or even killing animals. I think that George was telling the truth, that Native Americans liked to hunt. Although, I think he was exaggerating a little bit because he only painted them being violent. These paintings make the public think that Indians liked to kill things, and that they were violent.
4. Thomas Moran was a painter and a photographer. He did a lot of variety with people and also scenery. I think he was telling the truth, because his work looks pretty real. His work makes people realize how peaceful and beautiful the West was.
Edward S. Curtis
Edward S. Curtis was a very skilled man of his time. He photographed many famous people of his time. Many of his pictures show the west as a very unhappy, lonely place. Some of his pictures of Indians showed people that were sad to have their land taken by the new Americans. The Indians had respected the land and the creatures of it, and they seemed not to like the cruelty way that their land was taken away from them and they couldn’t do anything about it.
Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt traveled to the west for several times but he didn’t visit some areas in the west like the yellows torn area.
Matt Norris and zeynab hr.
MORAN-
simply amazing, the waterfall and background is breathtaking. i would love to visit a gorgeous place like this! they say a picture is worth a thousand words, but this one i would say is worth TWO THOUSANDS WORDS! I love art and paiting yosemite waterfalls has always been a true passion of mine, i have a small collection of oil paintings at my house. thats why i believe moran is amazing. he painted his picture to show people what the west is really like because prior to seeing these many people would have not a clue about the west. he painted this which made people want to go visit these beautiful sites.
-Tucker
1. Edward S. Curtis tells the truth about the old west, because he’s showing the way the Indian tribes use to live and also their culture. He shows that Indian people are non-violent in the picture, although that is a personal view.
2. We think these pictures show the non-violent side of the Indian tribes. all of the pictures show their way of life, they have to use their canoe to go fishing, that maybe harmful for the animals but not for the humans of the old west.
3. These pictures were meant to show the old west was not a extremely violent place. Although it may have had its “days”.
1. Albert Bierstadt tells the truth with his pictures because he shows that Indian tribes and white people have different ways of living. They also show they lived in different areas and they were never together.
2. They show that the old west had beautiful and peaceful places to visit. They also show that the old west had beautiful canyons.
3. to let people know that the old west was pure. And also to show how different the camp sites from the Indian tribes were from the white people’s camp sites.
1. Yes, George Catlin show the way of life for the Indians in the old west. How they hunted and tamed wild animals.
2. These images influenced the opinions of many. Many people now think that the Indians are cruel to animals.
3. to show what the Indians did in their spare time. Also what they had to do in order to survive and get around.
U.S. History hour 4
1. Edward S. Curtis tells the truth about the old west, because he’s showing the way the Indian tribes use to live and also their culture. He shows that Indian people are non-violent in the picture, although that is a personal view.
2. We think these pictures show the non-violent side of the Indian tribes. all of the pictures show their way of life, they have to use their canoe to go fishing, that maybe harmful for the animals but not for the humans of the old west.
3. These pictures were meant to show the old west was not a extremely violent place. Although it may have had its “days”.
1. Albert Bierstadt tells the truth with his pictures because he shows that Indian tribes and white people have different ways of living. They also show they lived in different areas and they were never together.
2. They show that the old west had beautiful and peaceful places to visit. They also show that the old west had beautiful canyons.
3. to let people know that the old west was pure. And also to show how different the camp sites from the Indian tribes were from the white people’s camp sites.
1. Yes, George Catlin show the way of life for the Indians in the old west. How they hunted and tamed wild animals.
2. These images influenced the opinions of many. Many people now think that the Indians are cruel to animals.
3. to show what the Indians did in their spare time. Also what they had to do in order to survive and get around.
U.S. History hour 4
Edward S. Curtis: In this picture there is what looks like an Indian holding some weapons, which signifies that there was a lot of violence in the old west, and there were racial tensions between the new Americans and the Indians. It shows that the Indians were proud people and that they didn’t take kindly to how the new settlers were treating them.
Albert Bierstadt: In this picture there is a serene Indian living area and you can see a bunch of the people who live there and teepees and tents that they live in. This picture shows that the Indians were people who were one with nature and they wanted to live with it rather than against it. It also shows that the places that the Indians chose to live in were beautiful places.
George Catlin: In this picture it shows something different than the two pictures before. It shows a Native Indian man shooting a gun at a bunch of antelopes that are grazing in a field. It shows that even though the Indians loved nature, they still had to do what they had to do to survive.
Thomas Moran: This is a big picture of a waterfall in the old west. It’s very cool because you can tell that the space is completely untouched by man, and its painted very well. It shows that the old west was a very beautiful place before people started inhabiting it.
Frederic Remington: In this picture there is an American on a horse-drawn carriage coming down a hill. I think this shows that at the time in the old west the population was rising drastically and more and more Americans were moving farther and farther into the west.
The artist, Edward S. Curtis, shows the peaceful and calm side of the West. It showed that the Indians were peaceful until cowboys and settlers pushed them off their land. Then the violence broke out and killing started. In many of his pictures he shows peaceful settings. The paintings showed how the paintings live a simple, peaceful life.
Albert Bierstadt was a painter who came to the west. He mainly photographed nature and how beautiful it was. In his paintings he had mountains, sunsets, and plans. He also had the specific animals that lived around there. I think he did the paintings was to save the beauty of the animals and nature.
George Caitlin art was mostly about the Indians. He showed there way of life in many different types or art. The majority were very intense, like hunting, taming horses, and Indians at play. His idea was that the West was exciting and a fun place to explore.
Thomas Moran was a watercolor painter of the West. He was one of the first to paint in color of the time. He painted mostly Yellowstone's hot springs, mudpots, geysers, and waterfalls. He showed the beauty on nature in color. Because of his paintings Yellowstone was protected and preserved as a national park. The $10,000 Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone painting launched his career.
The final painter, Frederic Remington, His theme was the life of cowboys in the West. The art showed that they were very reckless, brave, always on the go type of people. It shows that the kind of have a split personality around different people. His dynamic representations of cowboys and braves created a mythic image of the American West that continues to inspire America today.
Joey Lupient
Hour 5
In this photo Bruce Kapson captures the power water and its importance to the native people. The picture is of two native people gathering water for there tribe. It looks like the woman is getting the water as the man sits and watches. Which all men did oooooooooooooooooo yeah.
This picture is of some animals watching the coming thunderstorm coming. Its a spectacular photo. Some of the animals are nervous as others seem calm. It is quite the tender moment.
The picture contains wild buffalo and Indians. The Indians are hunting the buffalo with bows and arrows. there is a lot of action in this picture. A lot of commotion.
Taming a horse is hard work, but Indians did it all the time. in this photo an Indian is teaching his horse how to obey. It was probably a steering moment in a native’s life. The day he gets his horse.
A horse bucking a cowboy would be painful for a man to experience. The man has a wipe and the horse is about five feet of the ground. The buck is so powerful that the mans hat is flying off. Yee-haw.
Edward S. Curtis:
I don't think these photos accurately depict the American West. They show only peaceful Native Americans, no white settlers or trains. These images probably made people think that the West was a good place. No violence, just peaceful people. That would be the influence on today's view, at least. If white settlers were to see the photos they would probably want to take over the land and use it for something "good." I think these pictures were meant to show the unsavage lifestyle of people who were known as savages.
Albert Bierstadt:
Bierstadt's photos don't really show the true essence of the West. They show pretty scenery and generally unpopulated lands. I'm sure the West as we know it was a little more populated and a little less peaceful. These images probably made people think the West was a very nice, beautiful place. They were probably meant to be that way too. Either that, or they were supposed to show the beautiful side of the West so people could see through the violence.
George Catlin:
Catlin's paintings, in my opinion, semi-accurately decpict the Wild West. They don't show a lot of the racial conflicts, but they show the basic lifestyle of Native Americans (the hunt). These images probably influenced people's thoughts about the West negatively. They would come to believe that the West is pure plain lands filled with "savages." These pictures were possibly partially meant to make people believe this. They are also probably meant to connect the outer world with such an undiscovered people.
Thomas Moran:
Thomas Moran's pictures definitely don't show the true American West. They show completely unpopulated, beautiful lands. One of his photos even shows a few white settlers and a Native American getting along, which definitely wasn't true when it can to the West. These images might have brought people into uproars because they're so untrue. They were probably meant to show this peaceful side of the West. Maybe they were supposed to make people wonder why the West was so violent.
Frederic Remington:
In my opinion, Remington's photos accurately depict the American West. They show the violent and non-violent and just-trying-to-get-by sides of the West. The public probably found these images true to the West. Maybe they thought worse of the West. The paintings were most likely meant to show every aspect of Western civilian life. One must kill to survive in the West.
THE END!!
I think that Edward Curtis does tell the truth about the American West. I couldn’t imagine him just making up these images and the website also states that he traveled while taking these pictures. I think his certain work influenced the public opinion in a way that showed the American Indians as peaceful people. The purposes of these pictures were to show a different point of view of the American West, not just the gunfights and the massacres. Such as the picture At the Old Well of Acoma painted in 1904, it shows peaceful Native Americans.
I think that Albert Bierstadt is showing the truth about the American West. These images show the public that the West is a very barren land; his pictures influence the public in my opinion that there isn’t a lot of fertile land there and it would be a difficult task to settle down in the West. I think these pictures were meant to serve as informational, because it’s showing what the real American West looks like. The picture The Thunderstorm in the Rocky Mountains painted in 1859 shows very barren land.
I think that George Caitlin is depicting the truth about the American West. It influences the public by showing them that the natives are friendly and peaceful. I think that these pictures are meant to be served as informational to change opinions about the Native Americans, instead of the evil, murderous Indians, he is showing peaceful everyday activities of Indians. The painting Bride and Groom on Horseback painted in 1854 shows a peaceful ride through the prairie.
I think Thomas Moran is showing the truth about the American West. I think Thomas Moran was trying to show the beautiful side of the American West, which can lead people to eventually move out to the West and settle down. It is also believed, according to the website that his paintings helped to secure Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon as National Parks. I think these pictures were meant to be viewed as landscape of the West, just something nice to look at. The painting Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone painted in 1874, depicts the beauty of Yellowstone.
I think Frederic Remington depicted the truth about the American West. He shows action in his pieces of work. I think these images could sway either way in the public opinion, I feel that families would think that it is too violent to bring their children where young boys and men would think that it would be a great adventure to move to the West. I think these paintings were meant to serve as informational because I feel that it is informing the public of the action or violence in the American West. The painting Victory Dance shows Native Americans charging which could be perceived as violent to families in the East.
Brendon Rauch
Edward S. Curtis
I believe Edward S. Curtis displayed a lot of important details about the old west. His pictures depict the perfect scenery of the old west. He demonstrates being one with the pencil and one with the paper. He captures events people and times through his pictures.
Albert Bierstadt
Sir Albert is a very gifted drawer. He more captures the scenery of the old west. A lot of his drawings display the scenery such as the plains, and vast plain mountains and such. Also he would capture more then one weather stage. He uses storms a lot.
George Catlin
George Catlin is an action man. The majority of his paintings are drawn out of the testosterone stricken feelings of violence. Weather the people in the paintings are tackling cattle or killing other people/animals there is always violence. Another thing my mind has got a grasp on, is his use of distances. His perception of distance is nearly flawless. He uses this to his advantage and I think he’s the best painter so far.
Thomas Moran
Moran does tell the truth about the west. He shows the original beauty of the landscape with out the effects of society. In his paintings he shows how if you ventured out into the west, you would find the landscape like in his paintings.
Fredric Remington
Fredric’s drawings were very influential and still are today. He drew in the 1900s and captured all of his paintings in a moderate well defined manner. When I study his pictures with my eyes I feel like I’m there. My mind takes me back to the old west where my soul escapes to fulfill its mold wildest imaginations.
SAMM Thotland
Edward S. Curtis, took pictures of Indians. The pictures he took of the Indians look like all of the other pictures of Indians I have seen in my life. I don’t see anything special about his pictures. He used some fancy type of photo shop to make it even dreary looking. The pictures he took are of the people in their native clothing and native life style. He took pictures of how there life is and tried to act like there life sucks. I don’t think the Indians think there lifestyle sucks because they wouldn’t be Indian than, they would grab a cattle and go to the nearest town, get on a bus, go buy some new clothes and find a job and start a different life.
Albert Bierstadt did paintings of the earth. His paintings look like crap I would see in backgrounds in the movie Lord of the Rings. The lucky guy got to travel around the world and just have to whip up a painting of some rocks and trees. He needs to put some life or excitement in his paintings, the paintings are of woods, and rocks that I can see in everyday life. Albert was a good painter, he can paint stuff better than I could but his choice of what to paint is completely boring to me.
George Catlin, you did the exact same work as Edwards. George probably borrowed Edwards pictures and then drew the pictures on to paper.
Brendan Baker Hour 5
Edward S. Curtis
I believe Edward S. Curtis displayed a truthful and accurate depiction of the old west through his paintings and pictures. The paintings showed an accurate description of the west because they’re all photographs or paintings based on the cultures of the time. The truthfulness and accuracy of his paintings influenced many people because people are interested in learning about the old west, and they need accurate information to do so. These paintings were focused more on the Indian point of view, and he did a very good job of presenting their point of view truthfully.The purposes of his paintings were to inform people about the cultures, daily life, and the landscape of people that lived in the old west.
Albert Bierstadt- I believe Albert Bierstadt’s paintings showed accurate and truthful descriptions of the west. Focused more on the landscapes, the paintings and pictures are very detailed and seem to show truthfully what the climate was like in the old west. Once again, I believe these paintings influenced many people who either had the wrong idea of what the landscapes of the west were like, or people who were just curious about the history. The purpose of these paintings was to inform and show accurately what the landscapes and climate was like back in those times. I believe the artist did a very good job doing this.
George Catlin- I believe George Catlin shows a truthful description of the west through the Indians point of view. These paintings show the Indians culture and surroundings that seem to be very accurate and truthful. I think these paintings were very influential because not only did he show the people, but both the people and their surroundings, which is very helpful and interesting to people who are studying the history of the old west. I believe the purpose of these paintings are to inform in an accurate way the history of the west through the Indians’ point of view.
Frederic Remington- Frederic Remington without a doubt has the most interesting paintings that depict the history of the west. I believe they are very truthful and accurate because he is one of the few who showed the uglier side of what happened in history. The paintings of the war and battles are interesting and informative, showing not only what happened during these times, but the landscape around it also helps get the point across. I believe these paintings are some of the most influential of the bunch, especially to those who are interested in the study of the point of view of both sides. The purpose of these pictures were to entertain and inform people accurately about what the history of the west was really like.
Not finished.. One more artist left
Victoria P and Saadia M
Hour 5
1. Edward S. Curtis
His photographs offer a unique view of the daily life live in the Old West. His pictures were truthful to the time and setting as it showed the day-today. He intended to form a comprehensive and permanent record of all the important tribes. This project was recognized by American president Teddy Roosevelt. This Wisconsin photographer has influenced the opinion of the Native Americans in the daily life.
2. Albert Bierstadt
This well recognized painter is best known for his talismanic paintings of the West. This painter concentrated on the West’s landscaping opposed to horses, wagon or cowboys. He had a preference for mountain-valley themes as most of his paintings are atmospheric colour. His open compositions were later used in the late 1860’s.
3.George Catlin
This American painter focused on the life of the West, with a focus on Indians, warriors and buffalo’s. His paintings might not have been completely truthful to the West but they are certainly full of colour and interactions. His paintings depicted Indian tribes as seen in movies and books.
4.Thomas Moran
After visiting Yellowstone he recognized it as an exciting “subject for pictures”, during the trip taken threw Montana he made various luminous watercolours depicting his thoughts on the West and its landscape. Apart from paintings his thoughts and what he saw he also transformed amazing pictures of the West’s’ landscape into a serene watercolour.
5. Frederic Remington
Remington’s paintings depicting the West in the stereotypical way as seen in movies and such are full of Indians, horses and cowboys. Although his thoughts on the West might not have been completely truthful his paintings flourish with interactions between Western life.
I think that these artists deffinly knew the old west,they perfectly described,foe examle I really like the pictures of Edward S. Curtis,the picture of Indians seem so real.Ilike also the colour of the painting,mostly he used the falls colour,which is typical fot this period of the time.the other artists show realistic images of the old west.It's amazing how they can do it.thanks them,we can imagine the old west,similar like was.
his painting improve the public opinoin a lot.
Albert Bierstadt show mostly the nature.He shows the beauty of the landscape. He also shows Indians in their nature habitat.His purpose was to show Indian way of life.He influence the public opinoin maybe just a littele,because he just drawn a landscape and nature.
George Catlin:
I like his picture the most,he exatly describe the wild west.He shown that Indian lifestyle was wild in finding food-catching the wild animals and furthemor they fite to each other in their small war. It shows the Indians hunting buffalo and their dance and things.this could influence people in the negative way,because catlin shows the rought indians.the purpose of this picture is to show Indian way of life.
Thomas Moran:
he was also one of the artist who shown the beautiful of landscape.he truthly describe the nature of the old west.This can influence the public opinion in ways that the nature is so pretty and they maybe want go there see.The purpose is to shown the beauty of nature.
Frederic Remington:
he mostly drawn the peole on his paintings.the relation between Indians and horses.He maybe wants to underline the wild on the old west,thats why it probably influence peole that west it's really wild and rought.His purpose was shown people and wild of west.
Edward Curtis took pictures of natives in there “natural habitat.” He took pictures in the most serene environments and made the Indians look like they were peaceful at all times when in fact they were not always peaceful. Yes we may have aggravated them but its not like they tried to talk it out, as soon as we came by they were there with there tomahawks and arrows to destroy Americans. I don’t think these pictures were all that realistic because either they posed for him or he took pictures while they were collecting food or water. Everyone is peaceful when making food I don’t think i have ever seen someone who cooks with rage. With all this in mind I don’t don’t think there is anything special about him or his pictures?
Albert Bierstadt made Edward look like a god when it comes to displaying the west. Yeah, there are “beautiful” pictures of the land and make it look untouched and special. But when it comes to if the topic of violent or non-violent his pictures don’t even show anything that support either side. There aren’t even people in his paintings how are we supposed to decide if the people of the west are violent when Albert doesn’t even give us and example. If you show pictures of landscaping every place in the world is going to look peaceful. Iraq can look like a nice desert when there aren’t any tanks or firearms displayed but the reality is that it is dangerous.
George Catlin is like Edward but instead of pictures he has childlike imitations on a piece of paper. He and Edward were similar in the way there pictures portray the natives as peaceful people. In the “Alaeutian Chief and Two Warriors” he shows three natives standing around expressionless with spears in hand. If they were warriors don’t you think they should be in battle or at least hunting? If you are going to paint a picture of warriors why paint three guys standing with some teepees in the background, they are warriors not stay at home dads. So again I am upset with everyone made into a pg version and I feel like I’m watching “Pocahontas” with all the nice poor Indians being ruthlessly attacked. This would encourage settlers to head out west, until they got there and were shot in the chest by an arrow because the warriors you saw in the picture were actually at war..... not just sitting outside the ol’ tent.
Edward S. Curtis:
I think that Edward Curtis shows the west the way it really was. Not as some shoot em’ up, thriller movies do. His opinion wasn’t altered by public opinion and he showed that the Indian world was fine without being modernized. He showed Native American ways of life. Including how the hunted buffalo for food, how they conducted there celebrations, and how they prayed to there gods.
Albert Bierstadt:
I think that Albert Bierstadt showed the west as he really saw it. Including using different colors to depict and describe different moods. He also shows how the land was before settlers moved the Indian land.
George Catlin:
I think that George Catlin showed how the west really was. He showed how the Indians hunted and how they danced. He used clouds for death and he used different colors to represent moods.
Thomas Moran:
I think Thomas Moran showed terrific paintings of Yellowstone national park. He shows that the beauty of Yellowstone came from many different places. He felt that the west would be a place for great beauty.
Frederic Remington:
Frederic Remington shows a little different side of the west. While the others showed mostly Indians Frederic Remington showed both Indians and cowboys and settlers. How they worked and how they used there horses.
ANNIE NELSON HOUR 5
Edward C. Curtis
Horse Capture-Atsina Portfolio 5
I think that Curtis told the “truth” about the American West because his pictures were very realistic. These images influenced the public opinion about the west because he thought that they could help others see the culture and life of the Native Americans that lived in the west. The people he had pictures of were dealing with the pressures to drop their customs and traditions to fit into the new American society. Curtis thought he could defend their way of life. In Horse Capture, he showed a Native American man who was very true to his culture in the way he dressed.
Albert Bierstadt
Nassau Harbor
Bierstadt painted a lot of pictures of the landscapes and views of the unsettled west. In the painting of Nassau Harbor, he used a lot of colors and painted a lot of scenery and ships to show how beautiful the harbor was. I think he stretched the “truth” of the American West because his painting are a little exaggerated what he saw. These images he painted most likely influenced the public opinion about the west in the way it showed how beautiful and spectacular the landscapes were. The purpose of these photos are to show how amazing the west was.
George Caitlin
Alaeutian Chief and Two Warriors, 1855/1869
All of Caitlin’s paintings were of Native Americans in the west. This picture showed three Natives with their feather hats, spears, bow and arrows, and no shirts. This shows people about the culture of the Native Americans and how they did things. All of his pictures seem to tell the “truth” because it shows the Indians in their habitat with their tribe members doing things they do. There weren’t any exaggerations or things made up. All of his pictures of Native Americans seem to tell people that their lives were more simple because the paintings didn’t show all that much in the picture besides them and a buffalo or their weapons.
Thomas Moran
Near Fort Wingate, 1915
This painter was known for his landscape paintings of the places he traveled throughout his life. This is a very realistic painting that tells the “truth”. He put in a lot of colors in his paintings to exaggerate the beauty of the landscape. I think that he changed public opinions because he made everything look so beautiful in the west.
Frederic Remington
Dash for Timber
His pictures gave people a mythic image of the west because he showed cowboys and bronco busters that still inspires people to this day. He gave the people a heroic view of the American settlers in the west. Remington only had a view from the east and not a very good idea of who the people really were in the west so I don’t think he really told the “truth”. In this painting he showed cowboys on their horses with guns. I think it gave people a bad view of the west by displaying violence.
Pantelis Mertikas, 5th hour
Edward S. Curtis
“Signal Fire To The Mountain God” circa-1909
Edward S. Curtis was a photographer. I think Edward S. Curtis shows the truth about the American West. I think these images influenced the public opinion of the west by making people see the traditions of Indians. It also showed that they aren’t violent people. These pictures were taken to show that Indians were spiritual. I think these pictures were meant also to serve as a memory to those Indians.
Albert Bierstadt
“Western Kansas”
Albert Bierstadt was a painter. He went through the Old West in 1859 the first time and then when 2 more times. I think he is telling the truth about the American West. His painting showed that the West was very beautiful. These images influenced the public opinion by showing that the West wasn’t all violence and maybe made people move there. I think these pictures were meant to show the beauty of America.
George Catlin
“After the Buffalo Chase - Sioux,” 1861/1869
George Catlin was a painter. He painted a lot of Indians. I think he tells the truth in his paintings. He shows that Indians hunted a lot of things like buffalos. These images influenced the public opinion by showing that the Indians liked to hunt which might have been thought of as violent. I think these pictures were meant to serve as proof of the relationship the Indians had with the buffalos all those years.
Thomas Moran
“Yellowstone Canyon” 1920
Thomas Moran was a painter. He visited Yellowstone in Wyoming. I think he told the truth about the American West. He drew a lot of scenery in the West like Bierstadt. I think his paintings influenced public opinion like Bierstadt’s did in the way that they showed that the West was beautiful. I think these pictures were meant to serve as reasons to preserve places like Yellowstone.
Frederic Remington
“The Storming of the Ticonderoga”
Frederic Remington was a painter. He drew a lot of cowboys and fights. I think his paintings tell mostly the truth. I also think Remington maybe added extra violence or action than what really happened to his paintings. These paintings influenced the public opinion by showing violence like battle and cowboys which would make people not want to go west. I think these pictures were meant to show that there are a lot of cowboys in the West and that there are battles.
Edward S. Curtis.
This is a picture of an Indian standing alone in a field or wasteland with a bow and arrows just looking into the horizon. This is maybe a sign of loneliness or has just been in battle and is recovering, and coming back to his senses. He is thinking very hard about something or is just at a peaceful state of mind. The artist must have had some sympathy for the Indians and wanted to tell their story.
Edward S. Curtis.
This picture is of a women and a girl approaching the land with their canoe. They look very tired and stressed out and feel like they have just been in danger or have lost someone who was close to them. In the back round the water is clam and not disturbed and the hills are strong and aged. The artist must have had some sympathy for the Indians and wanted to tell their story.
Albert Bierstadt.
This picture is of a great hillside of grand mountains in the back round and then there is a group of cowboys and other nomads that are traveling across vast distances. The point I think the artist is trying to get across is to show the hardship of the people and how hard they had to work to get things done and to get a feeling of what is was like in those days.
Albert Bierstadt.
This picture is absolutely breath taking. The creativity and the talent that the artist put into this is astounding and miraculous. The picture is of a natural trail, not those types that man made, but the natural ones that just make it perfect for all the living creatures around it. There is a deer in the middle of it that has no fear of its surroundings at all like you see deer usually. The deer is very safe and comfortable and has no reason to be afraid.
Edward Curtis was a Native American portrait photographer. He made his photographs so they could help other people understand traditional life and the cultures of the Native Americans in the West. He also photographed many leaders like Princess Angeline, Chief Joseph, and Teddy Roosevelt. He portrays the Indian population as peaceful and nonviolent. I think that he tried to show the people who saw the photographs that the Indians were not violent. His pictures are examples of how the Indians lived and their daily lives.
Albert Bierstadt was a landscape painter. His paintings were of the scenery of the West and he portrayed the scenery of the West as very peaceful and calm. He adds Indians in some of the paintings and it shows how serene they were. He shows them in their natural habitat. The paintings show how remote and tranquil the scenery is. This shows that the West was nonviolent and peaceful, even if that is not true. It makes the viewer think that the West was very calm.
George Catlin’s paintings show the action that went on throughout the West. He portrays the Indians as violent through their hunting. Most of these paintings are based on the hunting that the Indians did in the West. Some of his paintings, however, show the Indians as peaceful. Most of his work shows the aggressiveness during the hunting the Indians did. These pictures are more about survival than about peace.
Thomas Moran was a landscape painter and a photographer. He has a lot of paintings of mountains, waterfalls, and skies. His paintings seem very relaxed and natural. The nature that he paints shows the beauty of the West. These paintings don’t make the West seem violent at all. His painting of Yellowstone shows his knowledge of the scenery. His photographs have the people of the West in their everyday lives.
Frederic Remington was a painter. His paintings portray the West in action. There is a horse in nearly everyone of his paintings, so it is apparent that horses were a big part of the West. The subjects of his paintings show that the people of the West seemed to always be in action. Cowboys are a main focus of his paintings as well. All of his paintings and drawings seem to have a focus of cowboys and the horses as the West. I think his paintings were meant to show the ruggedness of the West.
• Edward S. Curtis:
This artist liked to depict scenes of Native American life. There may have been many reasons behind this. Perhaps Curtis had some Native American background. But I think he liked the idea of an unsettled west and thought that Native Americans represented that. Think about it. Native Americans respected the land, took only what they needed and co-existed peacefully with their surroundings. I think Curtis was trying to make settlers feel some remorse for their way of life. Whatever his motives were there is no doubt the true lifestyle for the west was shown.
• Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt painted many realistic landscapes. His use of bright colors and the serene moods bring out the true beauty of the west. When people look at these paintings they see untouched landscapes without the damage of man’s wasteful lifestyle. This was probably Albert’s desired reaction. It is indeed more natural for there to be an untouched landscape than one with a house on it. These paintings show the true nature of the American west.
• George Catlin
Georges paintings seem to be directed at representing the routine life in the west. He probably wanted to show his viewers what the west was like on a day to day basis. These paintings probably would have evoked a sense of desire to see the west in an urban U.S. citizen. Just as camping brochure would today. These paintings may not have caused people to pack up and move west but they would help ease the minds of those already entertaining the idea. I do believe that this artist’s work fairly represents the west.
• Thomas Moran
Thomas’ motives seem to be the same as Bierstadt’s. They all show landscapes. The reasons behind painting theme seem the same. The effects these paintings have on people are probably the same. The only difference is that Moran’s have white men in them. I believe that Mora’s paintings are an accurate portrayal of the old west.
• Frederic Remington
Remington paints an accurate picture of the west. I think this is because his pictures show violence which was undeniably part of the west. These paintings probably exasperated the rumors of “violent Indians”. Though seeng as some Native Americans were violent this is artist was accurate in his paintings. These paintings were probably meant to excite people in the cities out east and show how lively the west was.
Edward S. Curtis
I think this artist Edward S. Curtis told the “truth” his pictures look like they are mainly of Native Americans and there lifestyles. There may have been many reasons behind Curtis pictures here are a few I thought he wanted people to think about when he saw them. Maybe he liked the way of an unsettled west. Also the pictures of women could have been his ancestors. Or even that he was Native American so these pictures interested him. This may have influenced the public by showing that Native Americans had a calmer lifestyle. To get settles to feel bad.
Albert Bierstadt
Albert painted many scenes from the west he used these photos to show how calm and the true beauty of the west. These images influenced people by showing them the west wasn’t a dangerous place and that it was not destroyed by weapons and men. Albert also showed the vast amount of space there was. These pictures influenced the public in a positive way by showing them how peaceful it was.
George Catlin
George mainly painted Native Americans’ and what there daily routines to survive and interact. In a few of his pictures he shows like “antelope shooting” Native Americans in the bushes about to shoot a buffalo and in “amusing dance” he shows them dancing. They also show how intelligent and advanced Native Americans were getting because they had new techniques of getting food. These images also influenced the public in a positive way by showing them how free.
Thomas Moron
Thomas also captures the beauty in the west as well as the people. He brings many colors to the pictures like in “hot sprins of Gardiners River”
I personally believe that Edward S. Curtis was a photographer who enjoyed and had great interests in Indian culture. I believe he was one who wanted to tell the story though his work. Each photo is so different and shows and emphasizes different sides and views in each story. He clearly had a passion for photography and it shows. His sophisticated photo’s show great depth and gives much connection, with the viewers!
I believe that Albert Bierstadt was a talented landscapist yet I feel as if he had a loss of interest through is art when it comes to original themes. He was an artist of many works yet he had not much variety when it came to other art besides landscapes. His paintings show talent through his work, to spread his love of his art! That is what I truly admire about Mr.Bierstadt his passion for his work! Its shows!!!
Edward Curtis was a photographer who enjoyed portraying others cultures in his work. it seems like he is very interested in the native American culture. IN his photographs, he shows Native American daily life and how they interact with their peers and their family life. I believe that he is trying to show everyone that Indians are really peaceful and not at al savages. He shows Native Americans doing various activities such as hunting and interacting with others. Personally I think that these pictures are wonderful, they have changed my life. After viewing thesemy thoughts on Native American culture was completely changed, thank you Edward Curtis!
Albert Bierstadt was an extremely talented artist. Although his paintings lack excitement and originality completely, they are the best painting i have ever witnessed. They show landscapes of kind of neat... I guess. He is good at painting these landscapes of flat, lifeless terrain. In a few of his artworks there are some native Americans in the background, which is so extremely symbolic and meaningful that these wonderful paintings have also changed my live. i love Albert Bierstadt, his paintings are the best i have ever seen and are so meaningful. thank you Albert Bierstadt
George Catlin was also an amazingly talented artist; he is probably my second favorite artist, right behind Albert Bierstadt. George Catlin painted simple paintings of basically random things, with a few paintings of Native Americans thrown in there, but they mean so much to me. i have so much respect for this amazing artist that i would buy all of his amazingly meaningful paintings of a few Indians dancing around... nothing, with no background. But of course it is not a lack of talent that makes his characters look like cartoon characters and his backgrounds simply fade from the painting; it must mean something incredibly symbolic. I am so jealous of George Catlin’s incredible talent and brilliance, and i can only dream to be as amazing as my friend George. Thank you George
~kyle sogard
Edward Curtis was an amazing photographer who really cared about the Indians and wanted to spread the Indian culture throughout the world. I was really moved by his photos and want to hang one up in my room. They are so tranquil and spiritual that I could look at them all day. The history behind these photos is very deep and inspirational to me. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to view the amazing works of art. When I am older, I hope I can have as much passion in my work as he does in his photos. These have emotionally connected me to the Native American lifestyle and I feel amazingly refreshed.
Albert Beirstadt painted very beautiful landscapes. I would imagine the west just as he pictured in some of his paintings. There is sooooooo much beauty in his paintings and I wish I could live in some of his paintings. He has opened my eyes to how attractive the old west was, and these beautiful paintings have convinced me that the west was not violent. I love how he incorporates majestic animals into his paintings, so the viewer can see how the animals really lived back then. His talent is unreachable
Edward S. Curtis: We think that Curtis tells the truth about the west. His images show the daily life of Indians. He showed how they lived before they disappeared. Curtis’s images provide background information for viewers. By taking these photos Curtis shows how the Native Americans were treated. He also portrayed the religious views of the Indians and how they celebrated. He also showed the environments the tribes lived in.
Albert Bierstadt: We think that he does a tremendous job showing what the west looked like. The land looks like huge wide open space. Most of it looks like it was dry and the plains are very desert looking. The Panoramic views give great detail in each image. The Rockies are displayed very well in his paintings.
George Catlin: We think he does a great job showing how Native Americans lived. The paintings provide us with information on how the Indians interacted with nature and each other. Also it gives good information on the wildlife. This artist focuses on the environmental aspect of the Indian Culture.
Thomas Moran: We think he did a swell job of showing how the west changed over time. It shows how the years went from peace to violence. As the settlers came to the west they destroyed a lot of the beauty.
Frederic Remington: We think he focuses more on the violent aspect of the west. All of his paintings involve cowboys. The paintings give in great detail how the cowboys lived each day. Also it shows they interacted with the Indians of the land.
Edward S Curtis
Most of Curtis’ work was done in the west in old time black and white western photos. Most of the photos seemed to represent solitude and had somewhat of an eerie presence to them. They photos seem to be very symbolic especially the Indian print that were shown. What’s interesting is that many of the photos seemed to show the chief of a tribe only. I believe most of the people in that time thought of his photos as luxury items and most appealed to those with some money. His work showed more of the calm, yet mysterious side of the old west.
Albert Bierstadt
Bierstadt work was done in the form of paintings. His paintings included mostly landscapes of mountains and beautiful valleys. The color he used was not very bright but showed realistic views of what most would think of the old west. People of the time probably purchased these as sort of living room prints that really show the beauty of America. All of his paintings were calm and relaxing settings.
George Catlin
Georges’ works depicted a lot of Indian settings. His works showed off everyday life in the Native American communities. A few of his works showed buffalo which is quite symbolic to Native Americans. Some more of his works showed leaders of different tribes along with young children. Most people would have bought this if they enjoyed Native American cultures. The painter probably made these to really depict what life was like for Indians in the old west. Some of his paintings showed violence which might mean he also wanted to show violence that occurred in the old west.
Thomas Moran
Moran’s work was very similar to the landscape works of Bierstadt. His family really pushed him to become an artist and his literature pushed him to paint fantasy pictures of immense beauty in his early years. Most of his works were unrealistic beauty but nonetheless very cool pictures. Most people of the time probably bought his works for the beauty and not the realistic factor of his works. Later on however, some of his works showed actual places such as Yellowstone which of course are realistic. Most of his middle year paintings were of places out west and showed particular locations that would appeal to the majority of people.
Frederic Remington
Remington’s work was somewhat similar to that of Catlin’s in the sense that it was of Native American life. However, a lot of Remington’s work was done in action pictures of cowboys and Indians on horses and such. Some photos are of buffalo being hunted and others seem to depict people getting ready for a battle. Remington’s work seems to be maybe the most realistic because it shows settings of all four seasons. Background drops include mountains, prairies, and also rocky, arid desert. Anyone that enjoyed seeing Native American prints probably enjoyed the work of Remington.
Edward s. Curtis
Edward S. Curtis’s pictures of historic American Indian art have been an important source for private collectors internationally and nationally. He is an independent museum scholar as well as a consultant to both the government and academia. I think that he has done a nice job of capturing what was really going on. I think he is telling the truth about how the Native Americans lived and their culture. I think these pictures had a big influence on the life of the west. These pictures were meant to serve as a guide to help people better understand how it was like back in the old west.
Albert Bierstadt
I think that Albert Bierstadt did a great job at capturing the old west even though it was paintings that he specialized in. He did a good job at creating an image for the public. His drawings and pictures show the truth as to how everything looked and flowed. I personally like his pictures the best so far.
George Catlin
George did an okay job at capturing how it really was. I feel his pictures were vaguer than some of the others although, I do think he did a good job at telling the truth at how it was, partially because he was so vague. I don’t really think that his pictures influenced how the Wild West was because his pictures were somewhat unclear as to what he was trying to get at. I think these pictures mean to serve more of a kid’s image or more simple of how it was, not so much a good reliable source.
Thomas Moran
Thomas Moran did a great job on a few of the old west times but he also had some pictures that were like George Catlin in that they were too simple and for a younger crowd. He does a great job at telling the truth on the good old west pictures and I think it has helped the public get the most out of them. The black and white pictures I think were the strongest of his.
Frederic Remington
Frederic Remington’s pictures were very graphic and very realistic to me and told the truth about the harsher parts of the west. Such as the hunting’s and killings that went on. I think he did a good job and showing how it really was and how it happened. Some of the pictures could have maybe been a little clearer but he got the idea through. I feel that his pictures have shown the public how the west really was and how harsh it was at times.
Edwards has taken many pictures that document the Native Americans of the old west. This is pretty new concept since allot of the images that people show of the Native Americans show them to be savages. These photos are very majestic and one sided to show the good side of the Indians. I do believe that these pictures are great looking but they don’t show the bad side they are all biased for the Indian people. After seeing these photos the American people must have got a new perspective on the natives.
Albert’s paintings are very majestic and beautiful depicting the landscape of the old west. I believe this shows the side of the west that you never see everybody always thinks of the old west as being a desert. These paintings are quite the contrary. One for instants is called Mountain Lake. Mountain Lake is a truly breath taking and graceful picture not at all what I think of when I think of the old west. Once the public saw these paintings they must have been very interested in the old west.
George’s paintings are grim. Many of them that show animals are scary and hard to understand. The paintings of the Indians depict them as being uncivilized. One painting of his is called Assinneboine Chief before and after Civilization. In this painting he shows an Indian chief that is dressed in traditional Indian clothes then in modern dress for Americans. He seems to want the Indians to adapt instead of carry on their ways. After people saw those paintings they must have thought that either the Indians were changing or that the Indians wanted to change.
Thomas was also a painter. He used his talents to paint the unusual characteristics that are very unique to the west. In one painting the Castle Geyser and Firehole Basin he shows how odd the west is. The people that saw these paintings must have been blown away. These paintings would either interest or scare people away from the old west.
Frederic was again another painter. His work centered on the life and ways of the cowboys of the old west. They were not all glamorous though some of the work showed the cons of being a cowboy. In the painting Cavalryman's Breakfast on the Plains he shows how the life can be just following the crowd. When young men saw these paintings they must have felt an urge to become a cowboy and live out in the old west. I know I did.
Edward S. Curtis
Edward S. Curtis captured the truth about the American West in the point of view of Native Americans. He took many Native American photos that share to us their peaceful side. People believe that in the American West was filled with uncontrollable Natives who did whatever they wanted and killed who ever. That is not the case in these pictures. He shows authentic pictures that enlightens us some truth of the American West through the eyes of Native Americans.
Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt captured the beauty and spirit of the American West. He shows us not destruction or shootings, but the great peaceful scenery that surrounds the old West. These paintings should really influence the public for the same reason that it portraits no violence but the contrary.
Edward S. Curtis: Curtis had mostly black and white photographs of things in the west. Almost all of them were depressing in a weird sort of way. One of them was a Native American, climbing a rock and trying to reach the tree at the top. It might have meant that the native’s were trying to reach a goal that couldn’t be reached. Overall, Edward S. Curtis’s work was a little dark. It showed the shady side of the west.
Albert Bierstadt had more artistic and beautiful artwork. Most of the pictures he did were on the scenery of the west and the desserts. I feel that he over did the beauty of the west. I’m sure that the REAL west wasn’t always that peaceful. On the other hand, people want that kind of stuff; they want a false portrayal that makes them feel good. In conclusion, Albert Bierstadt’s work was very easy on the eyes, but the realism value was far from par.
George Catlin: The artwork of George Catlin is mainly and strongly focused on the Native American lifestyle. Almost all of his paintings were of native families and costumes. One of the pictures was of a tribe of natives in a dancing circle. It gave you a feel of how they passed the time perhaps after eating or ritual wise. When he wasn’t painting the lifestyles of the natives, he was painting their hunting ways. These would have made the public understand the native more. Lots of the pictures were a little gruesome and he showed the details when they were hunting. Overall, George Catlin had a pretty good idea of how the west was truly like.
Thomas Moran: As an artist, Moran had lots of nice looking landscapes from the old west. Mostly, his artwork showed the adventure involved when scouting out a whole new territory of land. The paintings showed some of the fear that comes with a new land as well. The stuff he does has a certain innocent beauty to it. The public would have thought that the west was a wonderful place thanks to these pictures. Overall, Thomas Moran captured the beauty of the west before anything lasting made its mark.
Frederic Remington: Remington had a realistic look on the old west. He had various perspectives on the Native American as well as the common cowboy. He showed the natives training horses and hunting and he showed the cowboys going through rodeos and roping cattle. He was pretty close to a REAL western image, but it was still a little bit stylized. I’ll bet that the public would have thought that the west was an adventurous place. Overall, I feel that some of his works were exactly real, but most of them were falsely western.
by Dan Zazzera 6th hour
Albert Bierstadt has very realistic landscape in his art. His pictures are mostly of things like open valleys and mountain ranges. They are probably really true because I don’t know how anyone can have that great of detail in a picture without even being there. I think that these pictures made people look at how beautiful that the west was. the purpose of the pictures are for people to see how nice the west is and non-violent it was.
Edward S. Curtis has a very good talent in art. His art is mostly of the Indians. He is probably telling the truth with his pictures because they are all realistic. The point he was trying to make with his pictures was to show the culture of the Indians and their lifestyle and how peaceful they are. His pictures probably did influence public opinions about the west.
George Catlin does something different with his art. He is also probably telling the truth. But he showed another side of the Indians. The purpose of his paintings was to show how Indians are also very violent. In one picture he shows a line of dead buffalo that the Indians have killed and another picture shows an Indian with a spear. His art most likely changed the public opinion about Indians.
Thomas Moran shows the west as a peaceful and inviting place. He shows a lot of beautiful landscape of mountains and the cities. I think his pictures also tell the truth about the west because of the vivid imagery. His prupose was to show how beautiful the west was. He also influenced public opinion.
Frederic Remington shows how violent the west was. His pictures were probably the truth too. His purpose was to demonstrate all the violence that took place in the west. His work definatley influenced the public opinion.
Edward S. Curtis
Edward S. Curtis was an artist whose works portray the American West for what it was before the American Invasion. Native American’s living their every day life, where they lived, how they looked, and what they did. His images build a positive public opinion of the American West without even including any Americans. I believe theses images were made to show the world how the Native Americans were living and why we should let them live the way they have been living for hundreds of years.
Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt has produced some of the most beautiful works of art portraying the American West. His paintings include amazing scenery and travelers along with natives. His images may have been created to show how the West is a beautiful place, and may be trying to convince people to migrate there. These images, for the most part, to tell the truth about the West because Bierstadt painted what were going on.
George Catlin
Catlin was an artist who was most likely more of a realist. His works of art show the darker side of life in the West. His images would most likely scare people away from the West. They mainly portray dying animals, guns, and scary animals. This artist also portrayed the West the way it was, but in a different way.
Thomas Moran
Thomas Moran painted images of the most spectacular things found in the West. He dwelled greatly on the beauties of the region, and may have been trying to attract more of a population. He definitely tells the truth about certain areas of the West, but he plants a false idea, that the entire West is that beautiful.
Frederic Remington
Frederic Remington portrays the side of the West that is most publicized. He painted many images showing Americans and Natives battling. Also, showing many images of people riding on horses, with a horrified look on their face. These images show a lot of guns. These photos may have been created to show congress what kind of chaos was going on in the West and to convince them that they should do something about it. The images, again, and somewhat true, but they are over dramatic.
Edward Curtis.
In my opinion Edward does show the truth about life in the west before the new wave of people came in. The Native American portraits show people how they actually were because they were done in a portrait type painting. I think it influenced the public because Roosevelt took notice and commended Curtis for his work. I think his paintings showed the simplicity of life for Native Americans and the fight against ruining their territory.
Albert Bierstadt.
Albert Bierstadt worked on making landscapes, but not only for the beauty, but to demonstrate the confusion and mystery that the land before him entailed. This showed truth because it was hard for wagons and horses to travel all the way to the west. It was not an easy feat to overcome. With seeing these pictures the public started to recognize the difficulties but beauty the west has. It also has the purpose of starting a new wave of art, landscaping that is not perfection.
George Catlin
In George Catlins paintings he showed a Native Americans doing daily things. He showed the art of capturing a buffalo and their daily meeting. I think it doesn’t portray the truth, he is showing native Americans as violent people. He is convincing the people that the west is full of savages so that he can make profit off his paintings selling it to rich Americans.
Thomas Moran
Thomas Moran showed modern wonders like the grand canyon and Shoshone falls. He showed how beautiful parts of the west were. He was trying to convince people that the west was an amazing place to go to. His painting were realistic and provided westerners a good idea of what our natural wonders looked like. The pictures got him a lot of money in the long run as wll as something for the people who weren’t out west to look at.
Fredrick Remington
Fredrick Remington showed how people wanted the west to be. He showed others that the west can be great. he showed cowboys taking back the town and helping rid the west of bad people. Even if what he said wasn’t exactly truthful. In reality most of the westerners were crooks and bandits. But it gave others hope.
Edward S. Curtis
I think that Edward S. Curtis had a big interest in Western culture, especially the Indians’s culture. I think he also tried to tell stories with his photographs. He also tried to use his pircutres to document and preserve the indian’s way of life before it disappeared. Curtis was also probably on friendly grounds with the indians, because he was allowed to photograph many special ceremonies, such as the Sun Dance of the Blackfeet. He also got to meet and photograph many important Indian people, such as Chief Joseph, and other important non-indian people such as Teddy Roosevelt. I think he tried to display an accurate representation of the West from his point of view.
Albert Bierstadt
I believe Albert Bierstadt was a really good oil painter. The only downside to his paintings is that they are not very original. There’s also little to no violence depicted in his paintings, which makes me think he was trying to show the less-violent side of the West. Most of his paintings are flat and mostly lifeless, too. One example of him using the flat terrain in a painting is shown in Surveyor’s Wagon in the Rockies. It’s really flat in the foreground and midground and has a mountain in the background.
Edward S. Curtis – In his artwork we see how the Indians lived their daily lives. Instead of being depicted as the kind of people that just wanted to kill and were always violent. The pictures show that the west was mostly a peaceful place. It makes us think the violence never happened during these times. These pictures serve as a kind of flashback, how the Indians use to live before the settlers came and then the problems began to happen. We see that life for the Indians was not always as easy as some people might have thought.
Albert Bierstadt- In this artwork Bierstadt tries to open our eyes to what life would be like seen through the eyes of the settlers, since they had come to this land not knowing what to expect. It shows us how beautiful the land really was.
The pictures that Edward S. Curtis made show many different Indians and the places where they live. The artist did everything in the Vintage style, which made them look in my opinion even older and more peaceful. Most of the people in his pictures are older Indians and the pictures show their daily life, ceremonial rites, their clothes and you can also learn more about their traditions by looking at them. I think they are very idyllic and peaceful and in my opinion they show the truth a very important part of the old West. But they don’t show anything about the fights or “bad things” of the west.
Albert Bierstadt’s paintings show the landscape of the west. They are more colorful than for example Edward S. Curtis’ pictures. But also his paintings only show the peaceful side of the old west. Nearly all of them (only) show the countryside and the animal that lived there.
The illustrations George Catlin made show more of the violent side of the west. They show hunting scenes and also a fight scene. In my opinion this is a very important part of the west, because it was not only a peaceful landscape.
I think the pictures show the truth of the old west. Not the whole truth but part of it. Not the whole truth because the pictures that you can see on the website only show the peaceful side of the west. But none of them show fights or something violent.
CURTIS
Curtis takes pictures of Indians and Indian landscapes. He makes it really old looking with the brown tint and such. I think the pictures tell the truth about the Wild West because they express real life, and they’re not paintings and pictures don’t lie. Next, these pictures influence people’s opinions about the west by telling them that it’s the Indians territory. For example, a picture of an Indian girl with a big stack of brush in her hands like “hey I’m an Indian and watch out for me because I have a huge thing of sticks. I own the west and just be nice to It.” the purpose of these pictures is to show the dignity of Indians and how much they heart their west.
Bierstadt
Bierstadt paints pictures better than bob Ross himself, all those sweet landscapes with muted colors and awesome clouds. It’s all good but they could use a little more creativity on his part. I think that these pictures tell him truth about the west because they seem very realistic and seem to be real. I think that these pictures would make people think that the west is a peaceful place and a non violent place because they’re all peaceful land scopes. These pictures were meant to show that the west was a peaceful beautiful place to be and that it was nice there.
We think that Edward S. Curtis captures some of the truth about the old west but still doesn’t show everything about it. Most of his pictures have Native Americans in them which represent the west but there were also other people that lived in the west like the whites and blacks. None of his pictures really captured any thing wild about the west; they were all peaceful, like his picture Hopi Snake Priest. It made people think that the west was not very violent and it was calm. The purpose of these pictures is to capture what a Native American lived like.
Albert Bierstadt was an artist that painted many pictures of the west. His pictures were mainly of scenery and we thought that it captured the truth of the American West. A lot of his pictures showed the sky and how serene the west was. His pictures made the public think the west was a very open area with beautiful views. These pictures were meant to show what the old west looked like. One of his scenery pictures was Surveyor’s Wagon on the Rockies.
The artist George Catlin depicted the west from the eyes of a Native American like Edward Curtis did. Again, we think that he told some of the truth about the west but did not show it all. Most of his pictures are about chiefs and Native American tribes. One example of this is An Aged Minatarree Chief and His Family. The public would view the west as a place that just Native Americans and animals lived from his pictures. These pictures are meant to show us about Native American lifestyle.
Thomas Moran was an artist that showed the life of a cowboy in the old west through his pictures. We think this tells the truth about the Old West, to some extent. The pictures show how rugged the life of a cowboy was and the life they led. These images show the public that the west was not only a place for Native Americans, but cowboys too. An example of his work is At the Mammoth Hot Springs. The purpose of these pictures is to show what the old West was like.
The pictures of Frederic Remington show the old west as a place for cowboys and riding horses. We think that his pictures tell the truth about the old west because that’s what most of the west used to be like. One of his pictures that show the horses is Halt-Dismount. This made the public think that the west was a place with no winter and hot summers. These pictures were meant to show the life of a cowboy.
I think that Curtis tells the truth about the west. His pictures show the daily life of Native Americans. Theses images probably influenced people about the west. People could view it in a negative and positive way. The purpose of theses pictures is to show people the everyday Indian life.
I think that Bierstadt shows the truth about the American West. He shows the beautiful landscapes of the west. He also shows Indians in their nature habitat. Theses images influenced people to move to the west, because it is such a beautiful place. Theses images purpose is to show the surroundings of the west, so people will move there.
These images that Catlin shows tell the truth about the west. The pictures show the Indians hunting buffalo and their dance. Basically, the pictures show the Indian culture. People could think that Indians are savages. The purpose of theses pictures is to show the Indian way of life, culture.
Theses images do show the truth about the west,but it makes you think it is way more beautiful than it might be in real life. Theses paintings, influenced people to come live in the west. They will think it is very beautiful and peaceful. The purpose of these paintings is to display the beauty in the west. And to hopefully have people come there to live.
In Remington’s paintings I think that he doesn’t show the truth about the west. I think he wants to influence people to think that the west is a place full of adventure and fighting. The was probably very adventurous, but maybe not as much as he shows. People could be a little worried about moving to the west, because there will be too many fights. Theses picture were meant to serve more what people want to imagine what the west is like.
C.P. Hour 4
Edward S. Curtis– The work of Edward shows the peaceful side of the west,and he told the "truth" about the west as well. He also shows the north american natives and the tradtions and ceremonies thats the have.i think that he images influenced public opinion, showing the west as a tradtional place that stays true to there values and families. One frame that i liked was the picture of the "Hopi Snake Priest", it was a picture that showed the native people and there tradtions.i liked Edwards pictures, the purpose was to show the side of the natvies as tradtional people.They were very beautiful pictures to look at, and easy to understand.
Albert Bierstadt- I think that his works is very beautiful,he showed pictures of the land and its obvious beauty.Alberts also tells the "truth" about the natives.i liked the frames espacially the "lower yellowfalls", it was a profound picture that showed the lands peace and tranquility.The images influenced public opinion, by showing the softer side to the natives and there peace in life. His purpose was to show the natural beauty of the land,and it was very refreshing to see.
George Catlin- His work was very simple and beautful at the same time.His work showed a "truthfulness" in it.It was the "Buffalo Chase", picture that i was fasinated by, it was a frame that had a native man that was on a horse and holding a bow and arrow,and was trying to hit the buffalo. His images influenced public opinion by showing the strength of the natives and there undeniable desire in there life. His purpose of his work was to show the natives as strong people with evident passion.
Thomas Moran- His work was extermely beautiful and abstract, and is "truthful". His pictures were to tell the life of cowboys and there difficult journey.One picture that i liked was the "Wesley Powell on a trip to the Grand Canyon". It was a black and white frame simple but very beautuful as well.His images influenced public opinion by inturducing cowboys as men of adventures and risk. His purpose was really simple and, was to show a different side to cowboys then the public seen.
Frederic Remington-His work told a beautiful "truth" in it. His pictures were very intresting and showed the natives as people that fought for what they beleived in. One picture that caught my intrest was "Victory Dance", it was a difficult picture to understand at first, but was to show the natives as people working together to fight for there life. His images influenced public opinion by showing the naives as united people. His purpose was really to show the public how together the natives stand in war.
I think these pictures from both the artists living when this was happening, and todays artists depict the west very accuratly, I think there was some dramatization, but overall it seemed very good especially the paintings like "the hopi snake preist" showing even more accuratly the different forces in this day and age. also the more extreme sides of the issue, like (the East Side of Walpi), making the west seem like a desolite wasteland by the use of neutral color, and dramatization of events. another ( Buffalo chase) shows the lush rolling hills, plentiful buffalo, and indians living well make the west seem like a place were one should almost certainly move to.
I think these artists all had differnet opinions of what the west actually was, some paintings depict it as a desolite wasteland, some depict it as a lush, prosperous land, and some in the middle. overall, the use of colors, vibrant, or other are the biggest factors in what the artist thought of the west.
I think these images served as propagands, and billboards for certain companies such as the railroad encouraging people to move out west and use their services, some were probably done by individuals who thought the indeans were a big problem, and was not worth moving west out of fear of perel.
Berger, Erik
3rd hour, #3, 9-16-07
Posted on blogger with iPhone
Edward S. Curtis
I think that Edward Curtis is trying to show the everyday lives of the Indians. These photos are more focused on the peaceful side of life for the Indians compared to the violent side. I think he is telling the truth with his pictures for the most part because the Indians were probably very peaceful in their personal lives. I also think there was violence that he never shows but he is still telling the truth in his pictures. I think these photos give people a peaceful opinion on the old west. I also think these photos were meant to try and cover up the violence that did occur.
Albert Bierstadt
These pictures are all very scenic wildlife photos, many pictures of animals and beautiful views of the wilderness. I don’t think these pictures tell the truth of the old west because they don’t really show any actions from the old west its more just wildlife scenes. I also don’t think Bierstadt is trying to prove anything about the old west considering that the photos don’t really have any meaning to it. I don’t think these pictures influence anyone much at all about the old west in anyway. These pictures are meant just to be a beautiful site and they are probably just meant for decoration and don’t have any meaning.
George Catlin
These pictures show more about the culture of the Indians of the old west. I think they tell the truth about the lifestyle of the Indians and what they do everyday and even though there is no violence, I think it is pretty accurate in trying to depict the old west. I don’t think these pictures have much of an influence except for just influencing the way the Indians lived. I think the purpose of these pictures is to show an accurate view of what actually happened on a daily bases in the old west.
Thomas Moran
These pictures are also very scenic and they express the natural beauty of the old west. I don’t think these really tell much about the old west because there is no activity in the photos. I think these photos influence people by showing the old west as it is without any activity, just the scenery. I also think these photos show more of the white side then just the Indians. I think the purpose of these pictures are just for enjoyment and looking at the beautiful scenes.
Frederic Remington
I like these pictures because they show more action and it tells more in the pictures because it actually shows people in action instead of just scenery. I think it partly tells the truth about the old west because it shows violence, but it also shows only violence so it doesn’t really tell the accurate truth about the old west. I think these pictures make people think that the west was such a more violent place than it really was. I think the purpose of these pictures are partly to show the violence of the old west, but I also think they are meant to give a less realistic story of what actually happened in the old west.
I was using Friday to make up work that I missed during the week. This is me catching up on what i missed this Friday.
Edward S. Curtis
I think that this artist is telling the truth about the native Americans. People liked that he was taking pictures of the native American culture. Curtis got recognition for trying to preserve the Native American ways. To make sure that their traditions last for a very long time. In “Hopi Snake Priest” (1907), Curtis took a picture of the priest doing the snake dance. He has frozen part of the Hopi tradition for history.
Albert Bierstadt
Bierstadt was trying to capture the endlessness of the West. I think that he did a good job at this. He overexaggerated it a little bit, but he is showing the west in its true nature in my opinion. I think that it made people believe that the west was this open space of nothing. The pictures were sketched for this purpose. By exaderating the effect of the west, he drew people into it easier. In
“Surveyor's Wagon in the Rockies” (1859), Bierstadt shows a wagon in an endless obis of nothing. This is an example of the types of paintings he does.
George Catlin
Catlin intent of his pictures was to try to sell them to get a profit. To due so, he painted subjects that he thought would be interesting to the British interests. This included Native American sports, and hunting. This made the public think that the West was a lot wilder than it actually is. He didn't tell the “truth”, Percé. Since Catlin didn't give the whole picture of all the things in the west.”Buffalo Hunt, Chase” shows the Native Americans hunting buffalo and so do a lot of the other paintings.
Thomas Moran
Moran purpose of painting, was to capture the landscape along the trips that they took. Since all he did was paint the landscape. I don't think that there is any way that he is not telling the truth. He just drew what he saw, and nothing else. His paintings showed the public the beauty of the West. This made the public believe that the way was a very beautiful place.
Frederic Remington
Remington's purpose to painting, was to capture the west. To give the audience a feel about what the west was like. He painted what he saw, and added nothing else. Because of this, the paintings were all “truthful”. These paintings showed the public the excitement of the west. An example of this is Victory Dance”. The Native Americans on the jumping horses, show excitement. As does the waving of the weapons/staves.
Edward S. Curtis-
All of his works had a sad, yet serene quality to them. It showed Native Americans doing their daily activities such as hunting, canoeing, riding horses, etc. They're never smiling or frowning, they just always look stern. I think his portrayal of Native American life in the Old West is pretty accurate. His pictures influenced the public to view Native Americans as peaceful and hardworking. These pictures show that the Old West wasn't as violent as it's rumored to have been, but they were ready when the time came to fight.
Albert Bierstadt-
I think Bierstadt's portrayal of the Old West is a bit idealized. Although beautiful to look at, it does nothing to show what life was like in the area. The violence question remains unanswered after viewing his work. His pieces influence people to appreciate the beauty of the Old West and to regard it as peaceful, which I'm sure was the artist's intentions and therefore the purpose of the pictures.
George Catlin-
To me, this aritst has the best of both worlds from the previous two. It 'tells the truth' and is still beautiful to look at. For instance, one of his works is of numerous buffalos lying dead in a field; yet they are arranged in a way that brings beauty to the picture as well. These images influenced the public to recognize that there was, in fact, violence in the Old West, but much of it was between animals and humans rather than humans and humans. The purpose of these pictures was to show the reality of life in the Old West.
Thomas Moran-
Moran's pictures are strictly of landscape, which immediately shows that they do not portray the 'truth' about the Old West (although it IS true that the Old West had beautiful landscapes). This attracts people to his work as well as the Old West because people appreciate beauty, and that's all that is shown in his pictures. The purpose of them is to show the landscape, and possibly encourage travel there.
Frederic Remington-
Remington by far shows the most realistic portrayal of the Old West. There's fighting in a majority of his pictures and if there's not, there's at least a horse which means the potential of violence. The public is influenced to believe that the Old West really was as violent as it's cracked up to be and maybe even satisfies the desire to believe that cowboy movies are real. The purpose of Remington's work was to gain attention because of the violence and show how wild the 'wild wild West' really was.
-Tess Keegan, Hr. 4
Brooke Baker
US History Hr. 5
Edward S. Curtis
After viewing the photographs taken by Curtis, I think that his representation of the American West generally doesn’t fit the classic, generalized representation that movies or other sources portray. It is commonly believed that it was extremely violent. Yet, in Curtis’ pictures, the natural lighting and image itself is more sad and realistic, than violent. In the photo The North American Indian, on Holland Van Gelder, there is no sign of conflict or violence. You can only see the gloominess though the Indian’s body language, which in no way demonstrates violence. Instead I think because Curtis focused on the American Indian’s society may have a biased view of the American West if they just relied on Curtis’ photos. Although, I do not think Curtis took these photos to inform people of the American West, but instead to highlight every day things the American Indian experienced.
Albert Bierstadt
Similar to Curtis, Bierstadt represents the American West with beauty. It is evident through his paintings that the landscaping in the west is priceless. You can see this in his painting Canadian Rockies. Most would consider these scenes priceless. Therefore in that aspect Bierstadt is telling the truth about the American West, yet, there are still no signs of violence. After viewing his paintings people would get the idea that the American West is serene and nothing but gorgeous rolling hills. I think Bierstadt’s purpose was to embrace the landscaping and illustrate it to his viewers. His purpose was served.
George Catlin
Different from the artists above, Catlin did include some battle scenes in his artwork. For instance in the painting Battle between the Jiccarilla Apachees and Camanchee, it may be exclusive in the sense that it is a battle between to American Indian tribes, but it still agrees with the common belief that the American West was violent. I think Catlin’s viewers and the public in general would get a good sense of the American West, because he has a lot to show. Clearly his purpose was to not only highlight the western world but show the basic components to it.
Thomas Moran
It seems to me that Moran’s artwork is very similar to that of Bierstadt’s in the sense that they both focused on the scenery. This is shown through the piece titled Chasm of the Colorado. There are no people illustrated in this painting and that goes for many of his other pieces. Again I think he chose to do this because he wanted to capture the beauty in the western world and show the public the positive things about it rather than the negative.
Frederic Remington
Remington is the artist that stands out to me in this group. His seems to demonstrate the common beliefs that the American West is violent. His piece entitled, Dash for Timber, is a good representation of these beliefs. There are cowboys riding their horses with pistols. They are obviously committing violent acts in the painting. Remington’s works give the message that the west was violent and full of conflict. His purpose may have been to merely inform the public of these things.
I think all the artists were trying to tell us how indians had such great freedom before others started to take over. They would show us pictures of indians hunting for their own food and riding on horses. But as you flipped through more of these artists you began to see people taking away that freedom. I think they were telling the truth about the american west because they wanted us to know what really happened. Alot of these artists described the life that Indians had before, freedom and happiness. But some other artists showed pictures when people started to create a civilization in their homes.
Edward S. Curtis I think tells the “truth” about the West because he was actually there documenting what is going on. He actually met some real Native Americans in the West. I think the pictures are accurate as to what they look like and do. These pictures influence people to think that it was a very peaceful time in which the Native Americans live like. These pictures were meant to serve as depicted they way they live and look.
Site: 1982 Bruce Kapson Gallery The expert source for genuine vintage Edward S. Curtis since 1982 . Hockaday Museum of Art
I think Albert Bierstadt depicted very well about the “truth” about the West because he is painting a picture of the scenery by taking a trip to the West. He actually traveled to the West to paint these pictures. The pictures influence people to think that it a vast empty space and also very peaceful place. These pictures were meant to serve as to what the West look like. It shows it wasn’t very violent and the scenery and the things in it show that.
Site: Albert Bierstadt Gallery
Albert Bierstadt by Matthew Biagall 9/19/06
George Catlin I think he also tells the “truth” about the West because it shows that even though the West can be peaceful it can also be violent. He made four portfolios; it was influential because other people were reproduced by other people. These pictures influence people mind to think that the West was violent with the buffaloes and the battles between Indians in a painting. The purpose of these pictures was to show what the West was like and how dangerous and brutal it was.
Site: THE ILLUSTRATING TRAVELER 1996
The collection, National Gallery of Art. Artist, George Catlin American, 1796-1872, 2007
I think Thomas Moran depicts the “truth” about the West because he also went to visit the West. He only drew Yellowstone Park but that was still influential. It was very breath taking and influential in the way that it captures it exactly despite it being a painting. The purpose of this picture was to capture the beauty of the Yellowstone Park. It also shows it not being violent.
Site: Moran
World Classic Gallery: Biography and pictures Moran, Thomas 1999-2007.
I think Frederic Remington really depicts the “truth” despite the fact that he wasn’t actually there. It shows a bit of violence in the West. But it was influential in a way that people loved it and loved the beauty. They loved the fact of the fantasy and making it real. The purpose of this picture was to show how the West was despite him not actually being there.
Site: Frederic Remington Gallery - 82 items 1995-2007
American Masters: Frederic Remington
Broaden your knowledge about the intent of ES Curtis:
Edward S. Curtis, Legendary Photographer, What no Photoshop?
Curtis didn't use a Canon or Nikon SLR, but made his images with a 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 Premo reversible back camera. It had a 22" bellows, and a ground glass back. It took at least 15 minutes to set up a picture, and his fastest shutter speed was 1/100th of a second. He didn't have a "healing" or "cloning" tool, sharpening, curves, or levels... neither Photoshop nor the computer, or the CCD had been invented yet. My God! How did he do it?
For as much criticism as this man has received in the last century, it leads one to think that perhaps he did create a little magic. Perhaps he was on to something in the photographic world.
The beginnings of the modern west certainly resonate in the works of Edward S. Curtis. His photos were made at a time when Indians already driven from their lands were being shorn from their cultures. Fast emulsion Photography was relatively new and competed with portraiture done on oil and canvas.
This history is very apparent in a new film on Curtis's works, THE INDIAN PICTURE OPERA, (www.curtisdvd.com, DVD). In it, his images are explained in his own words. It's a re-creation of a 1911 E.S. Curtis lecture and slide show.
This film goes way beyond the images in showing how the west was transformed. It was a last grasp at recapturing was he called the "vanishing race". Ironic that Curtis's works were underwritten by J.P. Morgan, who helped bankroll expansion of railroads into America's west.
A journey into the past is always enlightening. Even though photography has been reinvented by digital, it's golden age was a century ago.
Jay River
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