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Buffalo Chase - Bulls Protecting the Calves by Catlin, George

Catlin, George · 1861/1869

George Catlin, a lawyer who became a painter, dedicated his life to documenting Native American cultures in the American West. *Buffalo Chase, Bulls Protecting the Calves*, created around 1861, is an oil painting that vividly captures a dramatic moment on the Great Plains, now held in a regional museum.

In this painting, observe the mounted warrior with his spear, and particularly his determined face, conveying the intensity of the chase. The painting emphasizes the protective instincts of the adult bison shielding their young from the hunters.

Catlin made five expeditions to the West in the 1830s, creating portraits and scenes that preserved a visual record of Plains Indian life and the environment. His work was a profound effort to capture a world he saw rapidly changing due to westward expansion.

His commitment to documenting these cultures left behind an invaluable historical and artistic legacy.

Details

He spent years living among Native American tribes.
He spent years living among Native American tribes.
His art was a race against time, documenting their lives.
His art was a race against time, documenting their lives.
The soft, undulating landscape provides a naturalistic backdrop and suggests the open environment of the Great Plains.
The soft, undulating landscape provides a naturalistic backdrop and suggests the open environment of the Great Plains.
The dynamic sky with scattered clouds adds atmosphere and a sense of movement to the overall scene.
The dynamic sky with scattered clouds adds atmosphere and a sense of movement to the overall scene.
Transcript

In the 1830s, one painter captured a vanishing West. He spent years living among Native American tribes. His art was a race against time, documenting their lives. See the warrior's intense, determined face. He recorded a world on the brink of change.