I can tell from some of the comments to yesterday's post that many of you were as conflicted as I was when I saw the exhibit about Billy the Kid at the Western Spirit Museum. The exhibit's description material talks a lot about how the history of Billy's escapades has been a blurred through the years. Some see him as a murderous outlaw while others think of him as a folk hero making his way in a lawless land.
Thom Ross's paintings depict Billy's life as a feverish dance. The painting above is called "Escape from the Burning McSween House" and represents one of the stories of how he escaped a burning house and evaded the authorities who were pursuing him.
This painting is called "Arrest at Stinking Springs" which is a place near Ft. Sumner where Billy was arrested.
This last painting is called "Midnight at Fort Sumner" where Billy was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett. He was only 21 years old. His life was short but his legend lives on and on.
This whole exhibit got me to thinking about how history views people who have made a name for themselves either doing good things or by doing bad things. A good museum exhibit should make you think and this one sure did for me.
Interesting exhibition, Sharon.
ReplyDeleteI guess it was successful in getting us to think, Sharon.
ReplyDeleteThe paintings are interesting nd unique.
ReplyDeleteIs it really good art, if no one hates it?
ReplyDeleteI guess unless we were really Billy none of us really know the truth, history is not always accurate.
ReplyDeleteI really like these paintings.
Bob Boze Bell sees Billy very differently than I do. I remembered the original photo, and here it is if you want to see it: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Billy_the_Kid_corrected.jpg
ReplyDeleteThe dancing connection is interesting. What an unusual way to think about the life of an outlaw! Even our modern culture blurs the lines between fame and infamy, so I'm not surprised it happened in earlier years as well.
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