Harry Jackson (American, 1924-2011) Cowboy's Meditation

Description:

Harry Jackson (American, 1924-2011)

Cowboy's Meditation
Numbered, signed, and dated "9./Harry Jackson 64" in the bronze base.
Bronze with dark brown patina, height 22 in. (56.0 cm),on a stone plinth.
Condition: Dust and dirt to interstices.

Provenance: The collection of Joseph Thomas Alvarez III, California.

N.B. This sculpture relates to Jackson's two seminal works titled Range Burial, one version a painting and the other a bronze. Described as a study in stillness, Range Burial presented cowboys gathered around an open grave witnessing the burial of one of their own, presumably the victim of a stampede. Each of the figures was conceived by Jackson as an individual portrait. The artist wrote, "From the beginning I did individual figures, first from the overall sculpture...and then in connection with the paintings...
The whole thing has been like a wellspring for me. I wanted to focus on certain figures like you might single out someone at a gathering to get to know them better..." (1) In the figure at hand, Jackson maintained that sense of individuality and dignity, with the cowboy's eyes downcast and his hat in his hand. Even the pose of the horse, with its head lowered and tail down, reinforces the solemn moment. This bronze relates most closely to the sole mounted figure in the painted version of Range Burial.

1. Larry Pointer and Donald Goddard, Harry Jackson (New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1981),p. 173.
Estimate $8,000-12,000

Abraded label from Kennedy Galleries affixed to the felt on the underside of the plinth.


Items may have wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.

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