I am pleased to share this information on a recent commission of religious art that will be of interest to lovers of the history of missionary work and the evangelization of Native Americans with the traditional Catholic faith. All images are copyright Goretti Fine Art and used here with permission. The artists have told me that some of what they needed to know for the painting they learned from reading past articles at NLM. - PAK
The unveiling coincides with the 185th anniversary of the historic event as well as with the release of Volume 19 of the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal at the Green River Rendezvous Days celebration in Pinedale, July 10-13. This year’s issue of the journal features a peer-reviewed article about the painting, the process behind its creation, and its historical significance.
The 31x50” panel was produced by George Capps and Polly Capps Paule, a brother-sister team of professional artists and the founders of Goretti Fine Art, a studio dedicated to creating figurative artwork in the Baroque and Academic Realist traditions. The depiction contains twelve portraits of individuals present at the 1840 event, features a meticulous reconstruction of a period portable Mass kit, and showcases the cultural diversity that characterized the Rendezvous era (1824-1840) of the Rocky Mountain fur trade.
“It is rare to find a high-quality painting that has rigorous historical accuracy,” said Clint Gilchrist, Executive Director of the Museum of the Mountain Man. “La Prairie de la Messe stands out even among the best and was a must-have for the Museum of the Mountain Man collection.”
“La Prairie de la Messe combines artistic excellence with cutting-edge research that makes a genuine contribution to fur-trade scholarship,” said Jim Hardee, Editor of the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal. “We are thrilled to publish George and Polly’s findings in a format that will make this information available to future researchers seeking to represent the era with historical integrity.”
“The opportunity to lead the execution phase of this commission has been among the most rewarding experiences of my artistic career,” said Polly Capps Paule. “The painting was the result of a productive collaboration between Goretti Fine Art and a committed patron who provided the support necessary to bring this complex project to fruition.”
Fr. Pierre-Jean De Smet (1801-1873) was a Flemish Jesuit best known for his work with the Indigenous peoples of the American West. In 1840, De Smet’s superiors assigned him to investigate the possibility of establishing a missionary presence in the Rocky Mountains. His preparatory tour of the region launched a transformative phase of his career, one that would ultimately catapult him to acclaim as the century’s foremost missionary to the North American Indians. It was during this journey that he offered Mass at the final Green River Rendezvous, before an immense throng of trappers and Eastern Shoshone people, on a plateau overlooking present-day Daniel, Wyo. Since then, the site has been known as “la Prairie de la Messe” (the Prairie of the Mass).
Goretti Fine Art is a Defiance, Mo.-based studio founded by internationally recognized fine artists George Capps and Polly Capps Paule and dedicated to creating original sacred, religious, and historical artwork in the classical tradition for churches, educational institutions, and private homes. Its mission is to nourish the human spirit and to glorify God through beautiful, inspiring, and innovative imagery that is grounded in a sacramental worldview and builds upon the rich heritage of Western Christian art.
Those who would like to contact Goretti Fine Art should write to George Capps, george (at) gorettifineart.com.
