Formidable Foe (SOLD)

“Formidable Foe”

The Comanches were an imperialistic nation whose dominance boiled down simply to brute strength.   They lived a violent, and brutal life but it was straightforward and relatively simple.  They took what they wanted, be it land or horses, and they chose their leaders mainly based on who was the strongest and bravest warrior.

Quanah Parker was a son of a Chief, but he was also the son of a captive white woman so being a “halfbreed” was a bit of a handicap for his future as a Chief and the main way he overcame it was strength.  Man against man was the Comanche way and for hundreds of years, it worked on the Llano Estacado.  The most powerful men became the leaders and survival of the fittest was the solution against every advisory ..until the latter part of the 19th century on the Texas Plains.

“Formidable Foe” depicts Chief Quanah Parker, futilely drawing the bow against the encroaching steam engine train.

Man against man was no longer the option as the white men’s technology created new challenges that he was not equipped to defeat.  I wonder if he felt very much like you and I do in this third decade of the twenty-first century as we often face challenges that we have no answers for.  What has always worked…no longer does.

For years, many of his people believed that they could defeat the encroaching white men by power and bravery in battle, but Chief Quanah Parker had to change his worldview and was more effective at it than many of his peers.  He was visionary in his ability to see things differently and adapt.  How frightening and bewildering it must have been for him…..to see that what had always been effective, no longer worked.

This latest painting is one of a series of paintings depicting Chief Quanah Parker, and the clash of cultures between the Comanche Nation and the Texians.  It is 48” x 48”. The painting is Acrylic on 120 year old, handwritten deeds, glued to canvas, from Parker County, Texas.  It is significant that Parker County was named after Isaac Parker, the Chief’s mother, Cynthia Ann Parker’s uncle.  These deeds conveyed Land once controlled by the Comanches.  In this most recent work, a large part of the picture plane reveals the historic documents, and these actual relics from the time period of the event have become an important part of the artwork both visually and symbolically.