Artwork
Change of Ownership (The Stampede; Horse Thieves)
Change of Ownership (The Stampede; Horse Thieves) is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Frederic Remington. It dates from 1903 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
About this work
Overview
The work portrays a tumultuous encounter involving horse thieves, centered on a Native American rider on a rearing brown horse.
Created in 1903, Change of Ownership (The Stampede; Horse Thieves) is an oil painting by American artist Frederic Remington. The work portrays a tumultuous encounter involving horse thieves, centered on a Native American rider on a rearing brown horse. The composition extends into a distant landscape of mountains, populated by additional riders and horses in motion. The painting is part of the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Subject & Meaning
The scene captures a moment of violent disruption on the frontier, focusing on a Native American figure armed with a rifle, his traditional headdress and buckskin attire emphasizing cultural identity. The rearing horse and the flurry of other riders suggest a sudden raid or chase, evoking themes of conflict, survival, and the contested ownership of livestock in the American West.
Technique & Style
Remington employs a warm palette of ochres and siennas, applying brisk, energetic brushwork that conveys the horses' muscular tension and the riders' hurried gestures. Fine detailing appears in the texture of the buckskin clothing and the rendering of the horses' anatomy, while broader strokes animate the surrounding landscape, creating a sense of immediacy and movement.
History & Provenance
The painting was completed in the early twentieth century, during the later phase of Remington's career when he focused on narrative genre scenes. It entered the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's collection, where it remains on display, contributing to the institution's representation of American Western art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Frederic Sackrider Remington was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art.
