Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
"James Fraser was an American artist who spent many of his early years on the western frontier. His father was a member of the 7th Cavalry who were responsible for aiding the army in the infamous “Custer’s Last Stand.” During this time Fraser witnessed the trials and tribulations encountered by Native American tribes forced onto reservations. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago as well as the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he was taught by the renowned sculptor Alexandre Falguière. The original casting was created in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Initially, Fraser had intended to cast the work in bronze, but due to the outbreak of World War I, there was a shortage of metal and Fraser was forced to render the work in plaster temporarily.
Instead of a fierce warrior, Fraser chose in this sculpture to show the transformation of the once proud Native Americans into a spiritually broken and subjugated people. A strong wind blows from behind the horse and warrior who both bend forward and submit without a fight to overwhelming forces; this underscores their physical, mental, and emotional suffering. The warrior’s spear hangs low, weighing him down as it rests beneath his right arm. This shows that he is no longer capable of fighting and his spirit is shattered. He wears moccasins on his feet and his legs hang limply on either side of the horse. Neither the rider nor the animal attempts to resist the external or internal pressures acting upon them and they submit with a slumping pose. This sculpture depicts the exhausted and defeated state of Native American peoples who have reached the end of their trail. It serves as an icon not only art historically but also for the present-day Native American tribes, who can identify with the torment of their ancestors.
This work is very expressionistic, stylistically. The raw tragic emotion and feelings of the downtrodden rider and horse are clearly reflected in the way the artist handled the modeling of the bronze and the position of the rider and his steed.
Bibliography: Broder 1973: 291; “End of the Trail Introduction.” National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Web Accessed. Mar. 16, 2011. http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/education/lesson-plans/Fraser/Fraser. aspx>.
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