178 Closing on the Herd

SOLD
Winning Bid Undisclosed
This item SOLD at 2015 Apr 11 @ 14:06UTC-7 : PDT/MST
Category Western Americana
Auction Currency USD
Start Price NA
Estimated at 300,000.00 - 400,000.00 USD
Closing on the Herd
Artist: Terpning, HowardDate of Birth: b. 1927
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 26 x 44 inches
Signed: Signed lower right and dated 1978

In Closing on the Herd, Howard Terpning sits you on a horse just behind and below a buffalo hunt as it is about to bust loose. You, like the hunter nearest us and the hunter at far left, have one last moment to take it all in (or as much as you can) before you will have to race to catch up as everythingÑbuffalo, hunters, horses, wind, clouds, shadowsÑaccelerates away from you. Thrilling, dangerous encounters are about to begin. The hooves of the horses and bison have only just begun to kick up dust. Atop the careful modeling of men and animals that is a hallmark of the artistÕs style, Terpning keeps the paint moving through the canvas in light and dark diagonals that begin in the shadows at the bottom of the canvas and at lower right and move shallowly towards the upper left in waves. The viewer represents the first wave: stillness. Our shadow can be seen at lower right. The second wave comprises the three leftmost riders who represent the change from stillness to motion, while the third wave, which includes the hunter brandishing a spear just to right of center as well as the buffalo to his left, signifies the transition to speed. Ahead of them, the last waveÑall bisonÑis in full flight. Looking at Closing on the Herd is something like listening to a train as it passes you when the Doppler Effect of the roar recedes to a distant rumble, and silence.