Western Art: An Evolving Story

In the late 19th century, Western artists were, in essence, historians of the American West. James Catlin, Hudson River School artists Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran and others created realistic paintings that told the story of Indians, white pioneers, and unspoiled landscape. Other well-known artists, such as Frederic Remington and Charlie Russell, expanded the genre into action scenes depicting the disappearing Wild West.

In more recent history, illustrators such as Howard Terpning, Frank McCarthy, Bob Kuhn, and Howard Rogers, continued to document the Western story, but from a more contemporary standpoint.

Does that mean there is a Western art revolution, or movement, afoot? If so, how and why is it occurring? In an effort to answer these questions, Art of the West sat down to talk with three contemporary artists about the direction of Western art. California artists Logan Hagage (pronounced Ah-jejj), Jeremy Lipking, and Glenn Dean are among the artists effecting change in the Western art market.