Painter of the Poetic Texas Landscape:  Frank Reaugh, 1860-1945
Curated by Lynn Whitfield, Fabricated by Lyn Stoll, 2004-2005 SWC
 

    Frank Reaugh spent most of his life in Texas and was the quintessential Texan - a staunch individualist who embodied the pioneer spirit through his ingenuity and creative spirit.  He was an artist, a teacher, a skilled photographer, an inventor, and a musician.  A devout admirer of  the rugged Texas landscape, Reaugh specialized in landscapes and often did studies of the majestic Longhorn, either as an anatomic study or grazing in the field. Reaugh was mostly self-taught, though he had been able to attend the School of Fine Arts in Saint Louis and the Julian School in Paris for a short time.  He became acquainted with the works of the Impressionists during his trip to Europe in 1888.  

     In his work one can see similarities in his use of prismatic color, hazy back-grounds and his habit to painting “en plein air."  So enamored was he of the scenery that he studied botany and biology and created a classification chart of animals and plants of North America. After his death, more than 200 of  Reaugh’s works were donated to the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library.  Displayed within this exhibit are a few examples of the artist’s picturesque renderings.  The artist explained his purpose in donating his works by stating “My main purpose in giving this collection of painting is to perpetuate for coming generations a vision of the famous Texas cattle and their environment as they were in the days of ‘free grass’- days before the wire fences and blooded stock of later times.”

          Exhibits Home                                                                   Southwest Collection Home