68030: G. Harvey (American, 1933-2017) Cimarron Cowhand

G. Harvey (American, 1933-2017) Cimarron Cowhands, 1993 Oil on canvas 30 x 50 inches (76.2 x 127 cm) Signed lower right: G. Harvey Signed, dated, and titled on the reverse: Cimarron Cowhands / G. Harvey - 1993 PROPERTY FROM A NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ESTATE PROVENANCE: Trailside Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona. In some parts of the rural West, cowhands still do the same chores and meet the same challenges that they performed a hundred years ago. From the turn of one century to the turn of the next, basic life has changed little. Herding cattle, worrying about drought and water, mending fences, dealing with extreme heat and cold, still needs to be done by the cowhand, who himself has not changed. For him, being a "cowboy" is more than a dream. It is a reality he faces every day and night with inner strength as his greatest asset. Among the western painters of today, there is none more capable of encapsulating this narrative than G. Harvey. In paintings such as Cimarron Cowhands, he encourages the viewer not only to see the physical elements of his subject, but also sense an overarching mood. Gerald Harvey Jones, better known as G. Harvey, grew up in the Texas Hill Country listening to his father and grandfather tell stories about ranch life and frontier days in Texas, all the while driving cattle across the Red River. His grandfather was a cowboy during the trail-driving era when legends grew up along the dusty trails north from Texas. Family stories of wild cattle and tough men were absorbed and became the genesis of G. Harvey's art. A graduate in fine arts at North Texas State University, Harvey taught full-time and painted nights and weekends for several years. It was through painting that he found his greatest satisfaction, and his native central Texas Hill Country provided the inspiration for most of his earliest work. Harvey's work was on display at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from 1992-1997. It was during this prosperous period, in 1993, that the artist executed the present tour-de force. Painted on a grand scale and measuring four feet across, Cimarron Cowhands tells the romantic story of the life of the cowboy surviving and thriving within the ever-changing terrain. Four men and their pack horse navigate the rugged winter terrain with the Cimarron mountain range, located on the southern-most part of Colorado, as a grand backdrop. The cold landscape is still and quiet, yet Harvey cleverly captures movement and life through the icy breath of the men and horses. The stark contrast of the cowboy's radiant warm-colored coats set against the cool blue and white tones of the countryside create a perfect divergence between man and nature, and yet, the partnership between horse and man depicts a unity and bond that cannot be broken. Cimmaron Cowhands is an iconic, powerful representation of life in the traditional American West. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved