Indian Fight

Indian Fight was commissioned by the Treasury Relief Art Project, a federal art program enacted in 1935, during the Great Depression, as part of the New Deal.  In this mural, Frank Mechau depicted what was, at the time, a standard theme of the American west.  Although the scene shows a battle, the elegantly stylized horses and expressionless riders, combined with a vast and majestic landscape, reveals Mechau’s primary interest in creating a skillful arrangement of form and color, rather than any rendition of historical accuracy.  Indian Fight was originally installed in the U.S. Post Office in Colorado Springs.

A longtime resident of Colorado, Mechau (1904–1946) had a brief yet successful career, receiving considerable renown for his Western-themed paintings and sketches.  Mechau studied at the University of Denver and the Art Institute of Chicago, and was the first Colorado artist to receive the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship.  He lived in New York City and Europe during his early career, and later taught at the Colorado Springs Art Center and at Columbia University in New York.  During World War II, he served as an artist correspondent for Life magazine.  Works by Mechau can be found in numerous public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Denver Public Library, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.