Empty Saddle

Howard Terpning is perhaps the most celebrated Western American painter of the post-World War II era. Terpning first came to fame in the 1960s as the accomplished illustrator responsible for the posters for many of the decade’s significant Hollywood films, including Cleopatra, The Sound of Music, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone with the Wind and Doctor Zhivago. Through this experience, he learned the importance of not just rendering a story, but of pulling a viewer into a composition and making them emotionally invested in the image’s characters. Eventually, the artist’s own passion for the American West, coupled with his success as an illustrator, allowed him to pursue easel painting full-time. His technique as a fine artist is defined by deft brushwork and a dramatic use of light, which often engages a sense of emotional involvement. In Empty Saddle, the poignant title underscores the compassion Terpning elicits from the viewer for the riders' missing companion.