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To the Native American, a spiritual
force was the source of all life and everything in nature had
a soul, or a spirit, independent of its physical being. Their
entire world was connected spiritually, with the physical and
the mystical living side by side. This spirituality was the fundamental
nature of the Plains Indian and the expanse of the West and the
grandeur of its landscape only enforced this notion.
“It is important to show the American Indian as he appears
in his natural surroundings,” says Howard Terpning. “He
lives with Mother Earth, and his spirituality is bound to his
environment. Many of my paintings are inspired by something in
nature. The thing I look for in a landscape is how it can be
dramatized to the best advantage in the painting.”
Many of Terpning’s most
revered paintings focus on the wonder, admiration and respect
the Native Americans held for the land in which they lived. The
Force of Nature Humbles All Men, With Mother Earth and On the
Edge of the World all explore the introspective power nature
has over man. Where Spirits Dwell takes that idea one step further
by presenting, in scale, the majestic scope of the land in relationship
to man. |