Simon Butler (Indian Trails, vol. II)
Original title: Simon Butler (Indian Trails, vol. II)
kurzbeschreibung
Created in 1852, Jean-François Millet's lithograph Simon Butler (Indian Trails, Bd. II) belongs to a series of prints devoted to Native American trails. Printed as a lithograph with a tonal plate on chine collé, it survives in the second and final state and presents a dramatic equestrian scene set in open country.
Description
A Native American lies forward on a violently moving horse, its body caught in a dynamic pose. Behind him, other Native Americans with weapons appear among trees and vegetation. The horse's diagonal movement governs the layout, while the figures in the rear stress the depth of space. Light falling from above accentuates shadows and heightens the sense of motion. Grays predominate, as was usual for lithographs of the period.
Context
Jean-François Millet, otherwise known for realistic scenes of peasant life, issued this lithograph in 1852. It forms part of a series called Indian Trails, which is given over to depicting the indigenous peoples of North America. Millet's work belonged to a phase in which European art showed a growing interest in distant and exotic cultures. Printing with a tonal plate was a common means in the nineteenth century of achieving fine gradations and atmospheric effects.
Impact
The horse's fierce movement and the dramatic lighting generate immediate tension. Thanks to the detailed execution, the scene feels alive and historically credible. The grays lend the sheet a calm, almost documentary distance that nonetheless allows the wildness of the subject to stand out.
Technique
The sheet was printed as a lithograph, supplemented by an additional tonal plate for fine tonal gradations. In chine collé, a thin Japan paper is glued onto a support paper, which gives the print a distinctive surface texture. The second and final state reproduces the mature version of the composition.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)