On the Southern Plains

About this artwork

Frederic Remington's 'On the Southern Plains' (1907) captures cavalry charging across the American frontier in this monumental oil canvas. This late work demonstrates Remington's evolution from illustrator to accomplished painter with bravura brushwork complementing spirited movement of horses and soldiers. Soldiers led by buckskin scout race toward unseen adversary. Remington wrote of them: 'His heroism is called duty.' Though titled 'Cavalry in Sixties' in his diary, uniforms span Civil War th...

Art Historical Context

Frederic Remington's *On the Southern Plains*1907), an oil on canvas measuring 30⅛ × 51⅛ inches, vividly captures a cavalry charge across the American frontier. Painted late in Remington's career, monumental work depicts soldiers led by a buckskin racing toward an unseen adversary amid dust clouds, flying manes, and raiseders. Though Remington's diary titled it *Cavalry in Sixties*, the uniforms blend Civil War-era styles with those from the 1870s, prioritizing dramatic effect over strict historical accuracy. Remington, renowned for evolving from illustrator to master painter, employs bravura brushwork to infuse the scene with spirited movement. The cavalry forms a vibrant, compressed mass rather than a rigid line, generating dynamic energy that draws viewers into the action. As Remington himself noted of such figures, "His heroism is called duty," highlighting the stoic valor of frontier soldiers. Housed in The American Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gallery 767 (gift of Several Gentlemen, 1911), this piece exemplifies Remington's mature style and helped shape America's mythic vision of the Wild West, blending historical romance with artistic innovation.

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...