Artwork Page for Sheriff of Pecos

Details / Information for Sheriff of Pecos

Sheriff of Pecos

1931–32
maker

Russell Barnett Aitken

(American, 1910–2002)
Culture
America, Ohio, Cleveland
Medium
ceramic
Measurements
Overall: 29 x 15 x 22 cm (11 7/16 x 5 7/8 x 8 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Irene Roosevelt Aitken 2013.357
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Caricature, or the exaggeration of prominent features, was a hallmark of Russell Barnett Aitken's style of modeling figures.

Description

Figural studies were emphasized in ceramics classes at the Kunstgewerbeschule, where Clevelanders Viktor Schreckengost and Russell Barnett Aitken studied in 1929–30. Aitken absorbed the Viennese style of exaggeration and caricature as seen in this depiction of a popular folk hero of the Wild West, incorporating such motifs into his work for the rest of his career.
A hand-molded ceramic sculpture depicts a mustached figure in a wide-brimmed black hat riding a spotted horse atop a rocky base. The rider wears teal sleeves and a cowhide vest, holding a handgun in his right hand with his mouth agape. The horse features a brown-and-white coat, bared teeth, and a bridle with blue studs. Thick, glossy glazes accentuate the expressive surfaces and stylized anatomy of both rider and horse.

Sheriff of Pecos

1931–32

Russell Barnett Aitken

(American, 1910–2002)
America, Ohio, Cleveland

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