1896 The Wounded Bunkie Bronze Sculpture                         

       Copyrighted less than one year after completion, Remington had finished The Wounded Bunkie portraying a tragic incident of frontier life. Technically his second sculpture, this bronze represents a substantial advance in Remington’s sculpting. For example, the two horses are supported by only one leg each. This shows the viewer the extreme lifelike plunging motion of the full gallop. Another advancement shown in this piece is the great contrast of live and dead weight which, is perfectly stated in the joining of the two figures.
Remington had a steadfast enthusiasm for horse soldiers (Calvary), and infantrymen, people whose rugged lifestyle he considered to be a hard profession. As a painter and writer, Remington’s military subjects and images were primarily derived from frequent expeditions with cavalry regiments on station in the Southwest.
The original concept of this sculpture was probably preconceived earlier during Remington’s career, when he painted A Dash of Timber.
At the reception of the Wounded Bunkie its popularity did not even come close to reaching that of the Broncho Buster. However, on a more positive note, that same year Yale University presented him with an honorary fine arts degree.

By: Shannon  J. Hatfield