Friedemann Hahn
Frank M. Canton in Wyoming Winter 1887, 1979
About the object
The artist Friedemann Hahn often uses photos of historical personages for his work. In this particular, painting he has depicted sheriff Frank M. Canton, who had been a cattle rustler and bank robber before he became a successful lawman. The subject's frontal posture recalls the preferred camera setting used in Westerns to show a cowboy and his weapon, usually a gun holstered at his waist.
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Frank M. Canton named in the title was a Deputy US Marshall and sheriff of Johnson Country, Wyoming, USA famous for his success in the fight against crime. His real name was Josiah Horner, but he concealed his identity because of his former reputation as a cattle rustler and bank robber. During his lifetime, the governor of Texas pardoned his erstwhile misdemeanours in view of his sterling service to the country. Canton died in 1927. The artist Friedemann Hahn often uses photographs of historical personages for his work and frequently depicts roughneck adventurers and gunslingers. In this painting, the frontal posture of the protagonist is striking. This form of representation is also used in film, where it is referred to as shot size. A special form of this is known as the »American shot«, in which the actors are shown from the knee. This attitude was often used in westerns to show cowboys and their weapons.
