Frederic Remington | The Dry Camp | 1907 | Oil on canvas | 27 3/8 inches x 40 inches
About the Work
By 1907, light—early morning, midday glare, moonlight, firelight—had become Remington's obsession as a painter. The Dry Camp is an attempt to
capture the intense light at day's end as the setting sun bathes the land in an unreal, ruddy glow. The dramatic light sets the stage for the theatrical
pose of a pioneer with his outfit caught at nightfall, short of water in a parched country. He could be an actor upon a spotlit stage, his shadow projected
against the props of horse and wagon, which cast their own shadows on the desert backdrop. Having removed a broad-brimmed hat that would have done the
trick, the man shades his eyes with a hand, and standing front and center, stares back at the audience. With its pervasive sense of psychological
isolation, The Dry Camp also could be seen to represent Everyman at the sunset of life confronting mortality.
