330 Navajos on the Way to a Branding

SOLD
Winning Bid Undisclosed
This item SOLD at 2015 Apr 11 @ 16:41UTC-7 : PDT/MST
Category Western Americana
Auction Currency USD
Start Price NA
Estimated at 40,000.00 - 60,000.00 USD
Navajos on the Way to a Branding
Artist: McGrew, R. BrownellDate of Birth: 1916-1994
Medium: Oil on board
Dimensions: 30 x 40 inches
Signed: Signed lower left

Best known for his depictions of Hopi and Navajo Indians, R. Brownell McGrew worked in the film industry before becoming a full time painter. McGrew referred to himself as Òan Impressionist in the classical sense,Ó though his works, as opposed to those of the Impressionists, often have a Òwet lookÓ because he mixed his colors with linseed oil to achieve a soft, bright luminosity suited to his desert subjects. In Navajos on the Way to a Branding, McGrew places the viewer some distance away from the figure and horses, emphasizing the landscape and sky. Low wispy clouds across the top of the canvas create the illusion that the scene curves down and away from us. The shadows that stripe the jutting mesa make the scene seem to be polished to a mirror sheen. In this dreamlike setting, the riders and herd of horses have the effect of a mirage. Blink to make sure theyÕre really there.