The Art of Frank C. McCarthy

I bought this primarily as a reference on Plains culture and McCarthy's crisp, graphic style provided much-needed detail on dress, weapons and decoration that have proved invaluable. Unfortunately, I have since discovered that some of his reconstructions are a little suspect historically, based on reservation-period pieces I believe. His favourite subjects are the Plains tribes, mountain men and the cavalry, each tackled with an eye for detail and story which is quite compelling. I suspect that, like Constable, he would gladly paint unpopulated scenes - his love of the plains, mountains and forests of North America shows in his sensitive and meticulous portrayal of landscape and sky and his keen eye for lighting shows in virtually every canvas.McCarthy's mastery of texture and form, and his handling of atmospheric effects like dust is second to none. His ability to capture movement and the broad sweep of action is thrilling but his draughtsmanship is a touch weak at times, his horses having a slightly homogeneous look and his depiction of Native faces can occasionally appear a little stilted to my eye.The text by Elmer Kelton is a bit mellifluous for my taste but suits the stirring nature of many of the pieces and often provides a narrative not obvious to a viewer unfamiliar with the subject.Despite these minor reservations this remains a valued book in my collection, evoking a great feel for place and time, and I find myself leafing through it quite often.If you like McCarthy's style, look out for "The Art Of Howard Terpning" (also sadly out of print) you should like his work too.