Artwork
Grizzly Bears Attacking Buffalo
Grizzly Bears Attacking Buffalo is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist George Catlin. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
George Catlin painted this in 1861 during trips west to record Native American life and wildlife.
This painting shows two grizzly bears clawing at a buffalo in a snowy forest. The bears bite the buffalo’s neck while the animal collapses in deep snow. A single pine tree stands behind them, dark against the white ground.
George Catlin painted this in 1861 during trips west to record Native American life and wildlife. He often staged fights between animals to show nature’s cruelty. The snow here isn’t just background, it pushes the animals together in a tight, dramatic space.
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Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays a dramatic confrontation between grizzly bears and a buffalo, capturing a moment of predatory tension in the North American wilderness. This scene reflects 19th-century Romantic ideals of untamed nature and the perceived struggle for survival among native fauna. George Catlin, known for his documentation of Native American cultures and frontier landscapes, imbued his works with symbolic narratives about the changing frontier and ecological relationships.
The depicted tree serves as a compositional element framing the action, possibly symbolizing endurance or natural order amidst chaos. The work is held in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it has been part of the collection since its acquisition in 1965.
The imagery conveys both literal wildlife interaction and broader themes of wilderness resilience and the fragile balance of ecosystems. Catlin’s focus on such encounters aligns with his broader mission to preserve visual records of indigenous life and frontier environments before extensive European settlement altered these landscapes.
Technique & Style
Grizzly Bears Attacking Buffalo is a small-scale oil painting executed on card that has been mounted on paperboard, a support choice consistent with George Catlin's field practice of working on portable surfaces during his western travels. The composition measures 46.5 by 62.2 centimeters in a horizontal orientation suited to its wilderness subject. Painted in 1861, the work is classified as a painting and depicts a tree alongside the titular confrontation between grizzly bears and buffalo, reflecting Catlin's characteristic documentary approach to frontier wildlife scenes.
History & Provenance
George Catlin created the oil painting Grizzly Bears Attacking Buffalo in 1861. Following the artist's death in 1872, the work passed by descent to his daughters: Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin. In 1912, the American Museum of Natural History purchased the piece directly from Elizabeth Wing Catlin.
The museum later sold the painting in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries in New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon subsequently donated the work to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1965, where it remains part of the collection.
Following its creation in 1861, this oil painting remained within the artist's family until 1912, when the American Museum of Natural History purchased it from Elizabeth Wing Catlin. The museum retained the work until 1959, at which point it was sold through Kennedy Galleries in New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon subsequently donated the piece to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1965, where it currently resides in the collection.
Context
George Catlin's 1861 oil painting Grizzly Bears Attacking Buffalo entered the National Gallery of Art's collection through a 1965 gift from Paul Mellon, continuing a lineage that began with the artist's descendants and included a 1912 acquisition by the American Museum of Natural History and a 1959 sale via Kennedy Galleries. The work remains part of the NGA's permanent holdings in Washington, D.C., where it is studied within Catlin's broader documentation of Native American life and frontier encounters, contextualizing his role in 19th-century American art and the evolving discourse around naturalist subjects.
Overview
George Catlin’s oil painting on card, mounted on paperboard, depicts a violent encounter between two grizzly bears and a lone buffalo set in a snow‑covered forest. The composition is anchored by a solitary pine tree that rises behind the struggling animals, its dark silhouette contrasting sharply with the white ground. The work captures a moment of raw natural aggression within a stark winter landscape.
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Artist
George Catlin ( KAT-lin; July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the American frontier.
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