Coming Through the Rye (Over the Range)

About this artwork

As Frederic Remington quickly mastered the art of bronze sculpting, he turned to increasingly complex compositions and tested the limits of casting techniques by freeing his figures from their bases. Coming through the Rye displays four pistol-waving cowboys; only six of the sixteen horse hooves touch the ground. Although the faces and gestures of the men are best seen from the front, the side view truly conveys the dynamic sense of motion, the stride of the animals, and the details of the cloth...

Art Historical Context

Step into the dynamic world of the American West with Frederic Remington *Coming Through the Rye (Over the Range)*, bronze sculpture modeled in 2 and cast between 1902 and 1906. This 28½ × 28 × 18½-inch work, adorned with a rich brown patina, captures raw energy of frontier life, likely depicting riders bursting through tall rye fields or cresting a distant range. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of the department, it exemplifies Remington's mastery in translating his painterly visions into three-dimensional form. Frederic Remington, a leading chronicler of the vanishing American frontier, shifted from painting and illustration to sculpture in his later years, producing over two dozen bronze editions. Working in the realist style, he infused his pieces with motion and authenticity, drawing from personal experiences riding with cowboys and soldiers. By 1902, as the Wild West faded into legend, Remington's works romanticized its rugged individualism, cowboys, and untamed landscapes. The lost-wax casting technique used here allowed for intricate details in the horses' straining muscles and riders' poised forms, enhancing the sense of speed and adventure. This sculpture not only showcases Remington's technical prowess but also preserves the cultural mythology of Western expansion for generations of museum visitors.

About the Artist

Frederic Remington · 1861–1909

Frederic Remington (1861–1909) was an American painter, sculptor, and illustrator who became the preeminent visual chronicler of the American West. Born in Canton, New York, he studied briefly at the Yale School of the Fine Arts and the Art Students League of New York before making his first trip west in 1881, where he found the subject matter that would define his career. Remington's paintings a...