The Norther, a bronze sculpture from 1900, is one of Frederic Remington’s significant artworks. It depicts a horse with all four feet on the ground, frozen in place. Despite being the least popular of his cowboy sculptures during its initial release and considered a marketplace flop, it is now widely considered as one of Reminton’s finest works.
Remington had extensive knowledge about the old American West through his paintings, illustrations, writings and sculptures such as The Norther. He gained respect for his work as a chronicler of the West during his lifetime; much of which played a pivotal role in creating the popular image that persists today. He also studied art at Yale University and briefly at New York’s Art Students League.
The Norther’s significance has been recognized not just due to its association with Western culture but due to certain aesthetic elements that deviate from typical depictions in cowboy art – through this sculpture he pushed forward exploring emotions related to tension imbued in weighty objects like horses.
Remington’s best-known works include A Dash for the Timber, Coming Through the Rye, and The Fall of the Cowboy—all found within Amon G. Carter Collection. His life has been documented thoroughly in Peter H. Hassrick and Melissa J. Webster’s work titled “Frederic Remington: A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings.”
A notable thing to mention are Remington’s nocturnes – paintings exploring technical difficulties accompanied by darkness yet surprising filled with rich colors displayed by firelight or starry night scenes close to nature making them truly exceptional.
