Similarities Between Taylor And Wolf

Treaty Signing at Medicine Lodge Creek is the title given to two opposing renderings by two uniquely different artists. First impressions of the artworks present an immediate reaction that the pictures are very different. In the drawing, John Taylor’s illustration appears advanced and from a professionally trained artist. Conversely, Howling Wolf’s sketch is less refined, and the artist is apparently untrained in art. Taylor and Wolf both have drawn images of the same historical event, but each from a very different perspective. Both artists make excellent presentations in their drawings, but an appropriate conclusion of aesthetic value rests with the person viewing the artwork.
The title of the two art pieces identifies the purpose of the

meeting as a treaty signing.

To begin, the most obvious point of contrast between Taylor and Wolf involves the two different styles. John Taylor and Howling Wolf created their drawings ten years apart, Taylor first then Wolf. Both artists represent Indians and white men who have gathered for a meeting. While looking at the two images of Treaty Signing at Medicine Lodge Creek, each artist uses symbols to describe what they see in different ways.
Howling Wolf’s perspective of the event is from above looking down on the signing. The use crayons, pencils, and ink allowed Wolf to create a stylized, emotionally charged depiction of the scene. One can see this abstract drawing through the use of form and color. In completing his work, Wolf chose to use many hues of the color wheel incorporating mostly primary colors. This picture does not represent a visual reality, but instead, Wolf used bright colors, shapes, and forms to complete its overall abstract effect. As the eye evaluates the childlike drawing, one cannot help but consider the iconography in the portrayal of the Indians and their culture. Wolf’s use of visual images and symbols shows his profound understanding of the Indian culture. Using iconography and color,

Wolf distinguishes between the different chiefs and tribes represented at the meeting. By incorporating outline for the drawing of his characters, Wolf can achieve a distinctive two-dimensional look for each. The rendering included colorful tepees, a horse, and even a creek joining a river. Moreover, the drawing illustrates the artist’s respect and understanding of his culture. Similarly, contained within in Wolf’s work are women, indicating their place in society during this time in history and points to the artist’s understanding of the Indian culture. The simple drawing techniques of Howling Wolf are like abstract art, causing the observer to experience difficulty in visualizing and internalizing the event. The composition of the artwork describes the arrangement of the visual details of people, landscapes, space in the pictures and the organization of these elements. In Wolf’s case, primary colors and primitively drawn figures move the eye into the image eventually establishing a focal point slightly off center. Howling Wolf uses different hues and form to generate a purposefully abstract rendering. Simplicity and bright colors describe the treaty signing as drawn by Howling Wolf.
Conversely, John Taylor’s drawing of the same event portrays the signing through the eyes of someone who has watched the meeting from a distance and visualizing it as it occurred.

Taylor’s focal point centers on the group activity, giving his picture symmetry and balance. By keeping the picture compact and together an observer’s attention remains drawn into the center of the overall illustration. Accordingly, his use of the contrasting black and white indicates a representational art seeking to model the event as it might have naturally appeared. The figures are easily recognizable, and one can see a meeting is taking place. Taylor’s work certainly holds the viewers’ attention with a realistic view of the meeting. Considering the iconography, one sees Taylor showing only the most important players in his work, both white and Indian. Taylor’s drawing appears organized, structured, and detailed showing the culture of his life and times. Because Taylor depicted his characters with very similar appearances, he approached the art in an ethnocentric way, drawing from his cultural perspective. John Taylor’s ethnocentric beliefs may have contributed to the fact that he drew the Indians with weapons, with a dull appearance, and a somewhat hostile look on their faces. The fact Taylor does not illustrate the importance of the Indians in the picture shows another example of his work being ethnocentric. The composition using the black and white to draw a realistic picture brings the

viewer in and holds their attention. Additionally, Taylor enhances the composition by using detail such as the period clothing worn by the participants in the picture. The picture shows structure, focus, and demonstrates design skills. Outline in Taylor’s drawing shows through shading in the use of the contrasting black and white tones while giving the picture a feeling of being round. In Taylor’s work, one finds the use balance and contrast to emphasize his black and white drawing. When looking at Taylor’s drawing the eyes move to the center of the picture which establishes the reason for the art, the signing of the peace treaty.
As one looks at the two images of Howling Wolf and John Taylor with their different views on the treaty signing of 1867, it is apparent how both represented their own cultures and understanding of the event. Nevertheless, the subject in both drawings is the same, the treaty signing at Medicine Creek Lodge. In both pieces the subject portrays the ethnocentric differences from the Anglo’s view and the Indian’s view consequently, they both represent the importance and significance of a historical event. However, they are different in style, form, color, and scale. Though Taylor and Wolf focused on the signing of the peace treaty both artists employed different imagery to convey their thoughts. As a ledger artist, Wolf used outline forms to give character to his stick-like drawings while Taylor applied outlining to accent his entire picture drawing the eye into the center of the work. The aesthetic value of the drawings remains with the person observing at the artwork.