Artwork
This Was a Fatal Embarkation
This Was a Fatal Embarkation is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Frederic Remington. It dates from 1900 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Overview
Frederic Remington’s 1900 oil on canvas titled *This Was a Fatal Embarkation* presents a compact river scene in which five Indigenous figures occupy a narrow, elongated boat. The foreground figure stands upright, rifle in hand, while the others paddle in unison. The vessel’s hull bears a simple zigzag motif, and the composition is set against a muted shoreline under a flat, pale sky.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays a moment of quiet tension among Native American travelers, suggesting an impending danger hinted at by the title. The presence of a rifle alongside traditional paddling equipment implies a convergence of cultural practices and possible conflict, inviting viewers to contemplate the circumstances that might render the journey fatal.
Technique & Style
Remington employs a restrained palette of earth tones and soft blues, rendering the water’s surface with smooth brushwork that emphasizes calmness. The figures are rendered with modest detail, their clothing functional and unadorned, while the boat’s decorative zigzag is delineated with crisp linear strokes, reflecting the artist’s characteristic balance between realism and narrative suggestion.
History & Provenance
Created at the turn of the twentieth century, the painting entered the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it remains on view. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s interest in American Western themes and Remington’s role in shaping visual representations of frontier life during that period.
Context
The scene aligns with broader depictions of Native American life during a time of rapid change and displacement in the United States. By integrating elements such as a rifle and a traditional watercraft, Remington captures the intersection of indigenous practices with encroaching Euro‑American influences that characterized the late‑1800s and early‑1900s.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Frederic Sackrider Remington was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art.
