Wild West

Emil Armin, Wild West, 1929, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Hilda D. Armin, 1973.141.2
Copied Emil Armin, Wild West, 1929, oil on canvas, 18 1821 in. (46.153.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Hilda D. Armin, 1973.141.2

Artwork Details

Title
Wild West
Artist
Date
1929
Dimensions
18 1821 in. (46.153.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Hilda D. Armin
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group — male
  • Western
  • Animal — horse
  • Architecture Exterior
Object Number
1973.141.2

Artwork Description

Santa Fe was a pilgrimage spot for many Chicago artists in the 1920s, and Emil Armin made his first trip there in 1928. He was so taken with the vibrant landscape and exotic culture that he made twenty paintings during his first two-month stay. Armin painted Wild West on his second visit during the summer of 1929, imitating the furious brushwork of European expressionist painters. Armin’s colors and shapes might look improbable, but his canvas captures the black shadows and electric energy of a sudden storm in the Sangre de Cristos.