Painting of the Day, October 24, 2011

By Donna Poulton

Carl Rungius, Silver Tip Grizzly Bear – Rocky Mountains, Alberta, Canada. 1923, oil on canvas, 22 x 28 in. Collection of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming.

After spending time on a Wyoming ranch in 1895, Carl Rungius (1869-1859) immigrated from Berlin, Germany to the U.S. and never looked back. Fascinated with the abundance of big game in the West, Rungius began working as a wildlife illustrator for books and magazines.  By 1909, he turned his attention to easel painting full time and is now considered one of the most important wildlife painters of the 20^th century.