Clouds of Dust conjures up images not only related to the speed-induced pursuits of hunting or fighting, but also to the more symbolic imagery of Native life melting away in the face of an ever-expanding frontier. The ink washed figures in the background of this work bring to mind figures of a ghostly troupe just out of reach on the horizon, their outlines formed by clouds of dust kicked up from the prairie landscape.
The poses of the two racing figures and their horses in the foreground are not uncommon in Miller’s works, and are similar to ones found in Hunting Elk (CR# 373A) and A Sioux Reconnoitering (CR# 381A).
The artist; [Edward Eberstadt and Sons, New York, NY]; H.J. Lutcher Stark, Orange, TX, 1959; present owner: Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, Orange, Texas, by bequest, 1965, accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art, 1978
