Lot 108A
Lad Odell (American, 1947-2020). "Cowboy Holiday" pastel on paper, 1977. Signed and dated at lower right. A touching and impressively sizeable pastel titled "Cowboy Holiday" by Western artist Lad Odell depicting three cowboys taking a rest beside their wagon. From left to right: a figure wearing a black and white striped shirt, blue jeans, black boots and a white hat sits hunched over in exhaustion; the second man donning a white shirt, jeans and boots leans against the wagon and has removed his hat to cool off; the third cowboy dressed in denim with traditional boots and hat sits on the wagon wheel, bowing his head and perhaps closing his eyes beneath the rim of his hat. The trio's pensive dispositions invite the viewer to ponder their inner thoughts and dreams. Furthermore, Odell's clever title - "Cowboy Holiday" -captures the irony and underlying humor of the painting, as in reality, a cowboy "holiday" is hardly luxurious and basically amounts to a simple moment of rest after a hard day's work. Size (sight view): 19.75" L x 15.75" W (50.2 cm x 40 cm) Size (frame): 31.25" L x 27.375" W (79.4 cm x 69.5 cm)
Born in Los Angeles in 1947, Lad Odell was a realistic painter of the historical and the present West. Odell once stated, "Western art is a delightful contribution to the lives of people all around the world. It reaches the imaginations of adventurous people everywhere. It truly is art from the heard of the average man. It is art to be lived with, to inspire." According to "Contemporary Western Artists" by Peggy and Harold Samuels, "By the time Odell was ten, he had traveled across Europe and the Middle East. In four more years, he had lived in fourteen different places, ending up again in California. Odell himself was interested in the history and anthropology of the American Indian He graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara with a degree in psychology and human relations, having spent one college year in Holland where he was exposed to Rembrandt's works. After several years as an account supervisor, he discovered Western art and that shelved his plans for a master's in psychology. Because he had no funds for art school, he taught himself in pastel and watercolor, and what began as a hobby became full time.
He talks about Western art as a philosopher, saying that 'Western art believes in external reality and man's responsibility to handle the real world. It is not introspective or self-indulgent. The criticisms about Western art are not artistic but philosophical. Western art reflects absolutes, a real world, a real bad, a real good, a real right, a real wrong. It is philosophically reassuring to a world which is beginning to realize it cannot survive if there is no down and no up.'" (New York: Bonanza Books, 1985, p. 386)
Provenance: private Erie, Colorado, USA collection
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#179676
- Condition: Signed and dated at lower right. Mounted in a beautiful carved wood frame that reflects the rustic nature of the Old West under glass. Artwork has not been examined outside the frame but appears to be excellent.
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