Artwork
A Reconnaissance
A Reconnaissance is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Frederic Remington. It dates from 1902 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays a lone cavalryman engaged in the act of scouting, a theme central to Frederic Remington's depictions of military frontier life.
A Reconnaissance depicts a soldier on horseback moving through a snow-covered landscape. The work portrays a lone cavalryman engaged in the act of scouting, a theme central to Frederic Remington's depictions of military frontier life. The combination of soldier, horse, and snow establishes a cold, isolated setting that conveys the rigors and solitude of reconnaissance duty.
The painting reflects Remington's recurring interest in the American military experience and the figure of the mounted scout as a symbol of vigilance and endurance in harsh terrain.
Technique & Style
Created in 1902, A Reconnaissance is an oil painting executed on canvas by Frederic Remington. The work depicts a winter scene featuring a soldier mounted on a horse amidst snow. As a painting held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the piece utilizes traditional oil paints to render its subjects, adhering to the artist's established medium for capturing Western themes.
The composition focuses on the figures of a man and his horse, set against a snowy landscape, demonstrating Remington's approach to portraying military subjects in rugged environments through this specific combination of materials and support.
History & Provenance
A Reconnaissance is an oil painting created by Frederic Remington in 1902. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is held and identified by accession number 2019.438. Its inception is recorded as 1902, with no further details available regarding commission, prior ownership, or intermediate provenance steps before its accession by the museum in 2019.
Frederic Remington's 1902 oil painting, A Reconnaissance, is held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work was accessioned by the museum in 2019 under the inventory number 2019.438. While the provided sources confirm the painting's current location, acquisition year, and accession number, they do not contain specific records regarding past or future exhibition history for this particular artwork.
The piece depicts a soldier on horseback in a snowy landscape and remains a key part of the museum's holdings of American Western art.
Overview
Frederic Remington's 1902 oil painting, A Reconnaissance, captures a tense moment of military scouting within the American frontier. The composition centers on a lone cavalryman mounted on a pale horse, clad in a dark coat and campaign hat, who pauses to survey the landscape. A second horse, unmounted, stands tethered nearby, emphasizing the rider's isolation and the precarious nature of the mission.
In the middle distance, two figures on foot move away from the viewer, suggesting a patrol or a retreat into the wilderness. The setting is a stark, snow-covered plain dotted with sparse trees, rendered in Remington's characteristic palette of cool whites, grays, and earthy browns to convey the biting cold of the West. Created late in the artist's career, this work reflects his mature style, which prioritized atmospheric realism and the psychological weight of the frontier experience over romanticized action.
The painting exemplifies Remington's enduring focus on the U.S. Cavalry and the rugged individualism required for survival in the closing years of the American West.
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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.
