Al Martin Napoletano (American, b. 1920)

Two Works

Ink on paper

Visible image 10 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches, framed to 16 x 23 inches (each)

The first work shows a group of Native American figures on horseback gathered along a ridge, overlooking a wagon train moving through a distant valley. The scene tells a story of mindful vigilance as the figures, mounted and bearing lances, survey the landscape below. 

The second work, a Western scene, portrays a group of vaqueros driving a herd of cattle across a rolling range of foothills. The cattletrain stretches far into the distance, gradually dissolving into the background. A solemn-looking vaquero atop a white horse can be seen in the foreground, with his attention seemingly on the audience or perhaps the trail ahead. Both works are rendered in Napoletano's distinct ink linework.

Al Martin Napoletano (American, 1921– 2012) spent most of his life living and working in the Bay Area. While trained as a machinist, he pursued art early, selling his first work in 1943. Specializing in the Old West, Napoletano illustrated for magazines including True West, Frontier Times, Old West, Horse Tales, Badmen, and Gold and Relics. He created the monthly strip 'Ranch Boys' for Western Horsemen and 'Bobwire Jack' for The Bobwire Gazette, in addition to numerous other illustrated strips and magazine features. He also produced a comic adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ The Bandit of Hell’s Bend for The Jasoomian.

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[Art, Folk Art, Military Art, Etching, Engraving, Lithographs, Prints, Ephemera] [Native Americans, Native American History, American Indian, Indian History] [Napoletano, Western, Watercolor]