A Child of the Plains, Absaroka Indian

Artist John Young-Hunter (Scottish, 1874 - 1955)

Date1914

Mediumtempera on canvas

Dimensions26 x 36 inches (66 x 91.4 cm)
Frame: 29 5/8 × 39 5/8 × 2 3/8 inches (75.2 × 100.6 × 6 cm)

Credit LineBequest of H.J. Lutcher Stark, 1965

Object number31.29.12

ClassificationsPaintings

Label TextScotland was the birthplace and childhood home of Young-Hunter. At the age of twelve, he attended “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” performance. He became entranced with the romance of the American West. He developed a career as a portrait painter in England, but followed his passion to the United States. The artist visited and depicted the Absaroka (Crow) people in Montana. Young-Hunter portrayed a horseback rider near a bison skeleton in a bleak winter landscape. The setting seems to forecast doom. Yet, his depiction of a young girl on a beautifully outfitted horse presents a vibrant figure who maintains cultural traditions.

ProvenanceArtist; by inheritance to his wife Eve Renz (Schroeer) Young-Hunter [1881-1967], Taos, New Mexico; purchased November 20, 1959 by H.J. Lutcher Stark [1887-1965]; bequeathed September 2, 1965 to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art

On View

On view