A TREASURE TROVE OF WESTERN ART AND MEXICAN REVOLUTION ART FOR FREE

By Juan Montoya

Hidden away in the shell of Market Square bus station is a trove of western art and Mexican Revolution wood prints that is probably unavailable elsewhere in the lower Rio Grande Valley. Its curator, Javier Garcia, says that the bronze replicas of famous western art sculptor Frederick Remington and prints of painter Charles Russell were donated to the city's fledgling effort to make the old Market Square the incubator for public art that the city hopes will eventually turn the once-thriving downtown area into an attraction for residents and visitors alike.

"The sculptures and paintings were donated by Ben Edlestein, a member of a prominent local local family and features replicas of his most famous works," he said.

"We are busy cataloguing historical documents related to the city's history but visitors are welcome to come see these pieces."

According to his biographer, Frederic Remington is the artist most closely identified with subjects of the American West during the closing decades of the 19th century. His drawings, paintings, sculptures, and writings present realistic and highly detailed depictions of many aspects of frontier life, including cowboys taming broncos, cavalry soldiers engaged in battle, and Native American warriors and scouts.

Among the most recognized of these is the 1902 multifigured work Coming through the Rye, which was based on Remington's earlier drawing Cowboys Coming to Town for Christmas. Depicting four exuberant horsemen riding close together in obvious revelry, the work has, in the words of Michael Edward Shapiro in his Frederic Remington: The Masterworks, "become an icon, and its emblematic role transcends its flaws. Etched into popular consciousness in a way that is rare in the annals of American sculpture, it has been widely accepted as an image of the untrammeled life of the West."

The painting at the museum's entrance depicts cowboys fleeing from native American warriors and has become one of the trademark paintings as he moved away from being just a magazine illustrator in the 1880s. Called A Dash for the Timber (1889), it demonstrates many of the notable qualities of Remington's art of this period, including strong narrative content, masculine energy, and realistic detail.

Visitors are welcome to also view a collection of some 36 woodcut prints donated to the museum by local historian and university professor Dr. Anthony Knopp. The woodcuts deal with the Mexican Revolution and depict a number of poignant pieces, including a firing squad scene and a burial of a revolucionario by Ignacio Aguirre.

Titled "El Pueblo Es Soberano," (Power to the People), it is a powerful classic scene depicting the people's struggle against their oppressors.

"We're not done with the exhibit yet, but visitors are welcome to see them in their present state," Garcia said. "Dr. Knopp was very generous in allowing us to exhibit this fine collection. I don't think there is anything like this available locally."

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. There is no charge and the public is welcome. The entrance to the museum is located on the east side of the building where the fountain is located.