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Auction Name: 2025 November 7 Western Art: Visions of the American Frontier Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 76061

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/8239*76061

G. (Gerald Harvey Jones) Harvey (American, 1933-2017)
The Blowout, 1980
Oil on canvas
60 x 40 inches (152.4 x 101.6 cm)
Signed and dated lower right: G. Harvey / 1980
Titled and inscribed on the stretcher: # 4621 / "The Blowout" / "Spreading the News" or "Happy Day are Here Again"
Bears inscription on label affixed to reverse: Pickens / The Blowout

Property from a Private Corporate Collection

G. Harvey, born Gerald Harvey Jones in 1933, grew up in the Texas Hill Country listening to his father and grandfather tell stories about ranch life and frontier days in Texas, all the while driving cattle across the Red River. His grandfather was a cowboy during the trail-driving era when legends grew up along the dusty trails north from Texas. Family stories of wild cattle and tough men were absorbed and became the genesis of G. Harvey's art. His early artistic inclinations led him to study art at the University of North Texas, where he refined his skills before pursuing a career that would eventually bring him national acclaim. It was through painting that he found his greatest satisfaction, and his native central Texas Hill Country provided the inspiration for most of his earliest work. One of the hallmarks of Harvey's career was his ability to fuse history with artistry. He painted the American West not as a distant myth, but as a living memory. Cowboys, settlers, and pioneers appear in his works with dignity and authenticity, embodying perseverance in the face of hardship. At the same time, his city scenes highlighted the progress of urban America and the optimism of a growing nation.

The Blowout, 1980, a monumental work measuring 40 x 60 inches, masterfully tells the romantic story of the Texas cowboy surviving and thriving within the ever-changing terrain. Harvey captures a powerful moment where the old frontier collides with the rising age of industry. In the foreground, two cowboys ride their horses down a muddy, rutted trail, their figures silhouetted against a glowing evening sky. His dynamic composition and fluid brushwork create a dramatic action scene, drawing viewers into the story as though they were participants rather than observers. The horses, caught mid-stride, radiate energy and urgency, suggesting the grit and resilience of riders navigating a rapidly changing land. Behind them, wooden buildings of a frontier town glow warmly with lamplight, hinting at the enduring traditions of the West. Yet beyond those buildings, tall oil derricks pierce the sky, dominating the horizon. One derrick is erupting with a dramatic gusher of black crude, sending a column of oil into the air, a striking symbol of progress and disruption. The contrast between the cowboys and the oil rigs encapsulates the tension of the era: the rugged independence of ranch life meeting the industrial forces that would forever reshape the American landscape.

The Blowout exemplifies G. Harvey's lifelong achievement: capturing the soul of the American West while acknowledging the inevitable march of progress. Through his careful balance of light, movement, and symbolism, Harvey reminds us that history is not static; it is lived, remembered, and continually reshaped by change. His work honors the resilience of the cowboy and the pioneer spirit, even as it recognizes the forces of modernization that transformed their world. By blending nostalgia with realism, Harvey ensures that the stories of Texas and the frontier endure not as fading legends but as vital parts of America's cultural identity.


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