Old low-budget Westerns—the once popular fare of Hollywood (and Italian) moviemaking—inspired David Rathman’s cowboy images. Rathman finds that their sometimes clichéd familiarity gives rise to whimsy, even humor, when combined with a pertinent phrase of dialogue inserted into the scene. Here, two cowboy figures, each holding a rifle in their hands, stand silently within an undefined space. The inscription Rathman added to the scene suggests an unknown narrative, but one permeated with regret.
