Although he was born in France, Henry Farny immigrated to North America early in life and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio where he spent most of his life.

Learning the Arts

His education took him back to Europe & he studied in Dusseldorf and Munich learning some of the most sophisticated artistic techniques available during that time. Interestingly enough it was his artistic influences in Europe that convinced Farny to visit the American West.

After he returned from studying abroad Henry spent quite a bit of time in the west gaining inspiration for his art. Later, back in his Cincinnati studio he applied this inspiration and created his prolific paintings of the Native people of the American West.

If you haven’t seen it already, be sure to check out Part 1.
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Perhaps one of my favorite artists so far, Henry F. Farny’s images provide an in-depth look into how he viewed the wild west. An import in the Americas, Henry was born in France and immigrated to Pennsylvania with his family at a very young age.

An Indirect Subject

As with most of the artists I’ve shown, horses find themselves an indirect subject within his art. However that doesn’t make them any less important in the final product, Mr. Farny’s work shows us how important the equine animal became to the native people of North America.

Here is Henry’s version of the wild west, not always telling a happy story, but providing a glimpse into his vision of life during that time. His work is incredibly prolific, in fact there is so much of it I had to split his post into two parts.

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Valentin Serov was a Russian painter and one of the premier portrait artists of his era. His favorite models were actors, artists & writers, however he managed to throw a horse or two in there for the equine lovers.

A Variety of Styles

Although he stuck mainly to portraiture, his style encompassed many different phases and each piece reflected the subject on a number of levels. He was as fond of soft, intimate portraits of women and children as he was of bolder, more intense portraits of military men.

His work evokes feelings of spontaneity and movement and it is clear that he appreciated the lovely lines & whimsical nature of the equine animal.

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James Ward started off in the family business as an engraver and was later appreciated for his English Romantic painting. He was largely influenced by his interest in engraving as well as the artwork of Paul Rubens during his career.

An Animal Lover

James became known as an animal & landscape artists and his strong appreciation for the form of animals is evident throughout his artwork. He was a driven artist and created a number of portraits, landscapes and history paintings – many of which were later engraved.

Mr. Ward’s art is thought to effortlessly reflect the grace & charm of the Romantic era through technical skill and artistry.

Sadly, this is one great artist who was not appreciated in life as he is today. He died in poverty not long after a stroke ended his work in 1855.
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Fredric Remington’s art defined the iconic wild west and his vision is still ingrained in how we view that period in history today.

His painting and sculpture portrays the drama and conflict of settling the west & his characters are the definitive members of the western battles, Native Americans, cowboys and soldiers.

Interestingly enough, Frederic was born in New York and spend much of his life on the East Coast. Although he enjoyed the West and visited there to find inspiration for his work, he remained an East Coast man at heart.

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Evariste was a French painter, born into a family of lawyers who (interestingly enough) encouraged his art and sent him to Paris when he was 18 so he could learn from well known sculptors & painters of the time.

Dark Themes

This is a bright artist who spent much of his time focusing on the darker themes of life. Much of his work depicts struggle, battle and turmoil, although his equine pieces tend to be some of his more whimsical work.

In stark contrast to the darkness of the themes is the the loving attention to detail that goes into each of his pieces.

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A French artist, Alfred DeDreux came from a rather artistic family, his father was an architect and his younger sister was an artist as well.

Alfred appreciated the horse as a subject from the beginning of his artistic career & was well known for his equine portraits.

While he cultivated his art in France, it was the British animal painters who inspired him and some of his most celebrated portraits were produced while he was in Britain.

He became quite fashionable as a portrait artist during the mid 19th century, although he chose to concentrate on his equestrian (and dog) paintings. This is just a small selection of his prolific equine work.
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Rudolf Koller was born late in the 19th century in Zurich, Switzerland and his passion for painting & horses manifested itself at a young age. He loved to paint animals and dedicated much of his education to the study of animals.

His admiration of the animal world is clear in his eye for detail and rendering of their personality.

Rudolf was an equal opportunity animal lover and known to paint the rest of the barnyard too. I threw in a cow or two because they are simply too lovely not to share.
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Peter Nicolai Arbo was a Norwegian artist well known for chronicling Norwegian history and Norse mythology in his work. The romance of this theme can be found in almost all of his art, however it is his battle scenes & valiant warrior portraits that really shine through in his work.

Finding His Legs

As a student he studied at the Düsseldorf School of Art under Karl Ferdinand Sohn who was an animal & battle painter. Karl’s work clearly had an affect on young Peter who went on to paint similar motifs.

Although the subjects of his art aren’t the specifically horses, his attention to detail and sheer passion for all of his subjects is clear.

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