William Herbert “Buck” Dunton was from Augusta, Maine, went to art school in Boston, and painted cowboys. Striving for meticulous realism and authenticity, Dunton often traveled west during summer and completed his paintings in winter. As was Frederic Remington, Dunton was interested in the rugged life, and he excelled in both figure and action, and in capturing the power of dramatic situations.
“Crest of the Rockies–Grizzly,” from the series “Heart of the West,” illustrated Dunton’s skill as a lithographer. The image of the bear rises as forceful and impassive as the high mountains surrounding it, and presents a salient contrast to the blasted and decaying timber at its feet. In this, it becomes suggestive of the quiet, lofty strength that has become the cardinal virtue of the West of our imagination.