Title: Carl Rungius (1869-1959), The Challenge
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 30 3/8 x 46 3/8
Frame dimensions: 43 x 59 1/4 x 2 7/8
Notes:

Widely recognized as the premier painter of North American wildlife, Carl Rungius was born in Germany in 1869 and classically trained at the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin. He first came to North America in 1894 on a hunting trip to Maine and stayed on to spend the following summer hunting in Wyoming.

An avid hunter and outdoorsman, Rungius spent considerable time in the wilderness studying animal anatomy and behavior firsthand. Direct observation lent his work a sense of authenticity and immediacy that set it apart from many of his contemporaries.

Rungius's approach to wildlife painting was groundbreaking for his time. He was among the first artists in early 20th century North America to merge wildlife and landscape painting, situating animals within their natural environments. He presented wildlife in a setting seemingly untouched by mankind, projecting an image of the West as unspoiled, remote, and wild.

By the turn of the 20th century, about when The Challenge was painted, long gone were the days of wagon trains. Thirty years had passed since the first transcontinental railroad ushered in Westward Expansion. In Wyoming, the likely setting for this painting, Yellowstone National Park was well-established and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show was in its second decade running. Within this context, The Challenge was a reminder that there was still wild in the West.

A mature bull elk bugles in the foreground to an equally sized adversary in the distance. The animal’s raw power is apparent in the outstretched neck, the whites of his eyes, and the mist from his bugle. The bull adversary, cows, trees and much of the landscape are rendered impressionistically, heightening the detailed rendering of the main subject. A moment of tension preceding an uncertain outcome.

This work will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné, currently being prepared by Adam Duncan Harris, Ph.D., Grainger/Kerr Director of the Carl Rungius Catalogue Raisonné, an independent project of the National Museum of Wildlife Art.

The painting appears to be in very good condition with some minor craquelure and discoloration at the upper sky area.The dust cover was removed and revealed the painting to have been fully strip lined. The painting shows minor inpainting scattered throughout the left side of the sky and over a visible yellow stain on the surface, as well as overpainting throughout the upper tree line at the right side when viewed under blacklight. This was most likely done by Rungius at a later date. The impressive antique frame, sourced by Edward Charles Balfour, appears to be in very good condition with minor miter splits forming.

oil on canvas

signed lower right: C. Rungius