The Bronco Buster, Frederic Remington; Roman Bronze Works

Artwork Overview

Frederic Remington; Roman Bronze Works, The Bronco Buster
Frederic Remington; Roman Bronze Works, The Bronco Buster
Frederic Remington
The Bronco Buster
1895, cast 1906
Frederic Remington, artist
1861–1909
The Bronco Buster, 1895, cast 1906
Where object was made: United States
Material/technique: bronze
Dimensions:
Object Height (Height): 59.5 cm
Object Height (Height): 23 7/16 in
Credit line: Museum purchase through the Greater University Fund
Accession number: 1954.0123
Not on display
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Label texts

Exhibition Label: "This Land," Mar-2014, Kate Meyer When my leg swings ‘cross on an outlaw hawse And my spurs clinch into his hide, He kin r’ar and pitch over hill and ditch, But wherever he goes I’ll ride. Let ‘im spin and flop like a crazy top Or flit like a wind-whipped smoke, But he’ll know the feel of my rowelled heel Till he’s happy to own he’s broke. -Excerpt from “The Outlaw” by Badger Clark, 1915 Remington’s action bronze of a heroic cowboy anticipates the flourishing of 20th-century Westerns, novels, poems, and films depicting events in the late 19th century Old West.

Resources

Audio

Didactic – Art Minute
Didactic – Art Minute
Episode 49. I’m David Cateforis with another art minute from the Spencer Museum of Art. The realistic sketches of Frederic Remington prompted a neighbor to remark, “Frederic, you’re not so much an illustrator as a sculptor.” Seven months later, in 1895, Remington produced his first sculpture, “Bronco Buster”, displayed at the Spencer in a 1909 bronze casting. We see a horse rear up on its hind legs as it attempts to throw off its rider. Holding the reins with his left hand, the cowboy flings his right arm out, his hand brandishing a riding crop. The body of the horse forms an arc, from the end of its whipping tail to the tip of its muzzle. To aid in his realistic portrayals of movement, Remington employed photography as well as sketches. Educated at Yale, this versatile artist began his career as an illustrator. Although he came from upstate New York, he had a penchant for Western themes. For a brief time, he owned a sheep ranch in Kansas and also invested in a Kansas City saloon. While Remington feared that time would fade his paintings, he hoped his bronzes would endure. A century later, “Bronco Buster” still effectively conveys the raw beauty of the American West that Remington loved. With thanks to Nancy Hernandez for her text, from the Spencer Museum of Art, I’m David Cateforis.