VERSO
Label, Nedra Matteucci Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Label, The Owings Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Describing the artist’s paintings, William J. Schaldach wrote, “When one looks at a picture by Rungius he is at once struck with the startling reality of it. The animals seem to breathe; they move about in surroundings which are bathed in atmosphere; mountain crags are hard and solid, dead spruce stubs look weathered and brittle. You feel that if you were to take hold of a dry branch it would crack off with a report like a pistol shot, stabbing the silence of the wilderness. The coats of the animals are rich in color, sable browns, tans and buffs being complemented in shadow with rich, cool blues and grays.

“None of these effects, so pleasing to the eye and satisfying from the standpoint of sheer reality, come about by accident. They are the result of careful planning, based on a lifetime of observation and preliminary ground work.

“Rungius said that, at the very beginning, his aim was to achieve a unified picture in which all elements were important. He wanted to paint the scene as it exists, not an incidental animal, for example, in a carefully worked out landscape; or a fussily painted animal, on the other hand, shown against a poorly considered and inadequate back-ground. Too many pictures have these faults and it is easy to spot them; they have a synthetic look.

“To achieve his aim, the artist went to the source of truth – nature living and working in the wilderness, among the animals which so greatly interest him. Of his life on the trail and in many far-flung and lonely camps there will be much written farther on. It is enough to say now that only an artist-sportsman, the term by which Rungius prefers to be known, could have painted big game in its natural environment with such absolute realism, truth and authority as he has achieved.”

PROVENANCE
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, Reno, Nevada, 2008
Private collection, Wyoming

Additional Resources

• Absentee & Phone Bid Form
• Carl Rungius’ Past Results
• View Condition Report

Condition ReportSurface is in good condition. Spots of inpainting in the sky.

Important Notice: Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders and reflect educated opinions, not facts. All painting frames are sold “as is.” The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions.