The Mexican Major
Frederic Remington (American, 1861–1909)
1889
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- 87 × 124.8 cm (34 1/4 × 49 1/8 in.)
- Culture
- New York
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of the Americas
- Credit line
- George F. Harding Collection
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Frederic Remington was greatly impressed by the Mexican army, which he observed during a six-week visit to Mexico in 1889 in preparation for an article in Harper’s Weekly magazine. The Mexican Major is an elaborate, multifigural composition, designed to convey the professionalism, discipline, and “immensely picturesque” appearance of the officer and his regiment. Remington enjoyed the soldiers' ornate costumes, and he emphasized these through the use of rhythmic, flashing colors and the depiction of brilliant light. The line of horsemen stretches off into the far distance—a sign of honor, strength, and dignity.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
