Once Upon a Time in the West

Additional Information

In the art business, we throw words like “classic” and “iconic” around like, well, like people who are trying to sell something. But Frank McCarthy’s original artwork for the classic Sergio Leone film Once Upon a Time in the West–an action scene no less–certainly qualifies as iconic. The five note theme of Ennio Morricone’s musical score alone has become part of our cultural fabric. Go ahead, whistle it. You know you know it. In this painting, McCarthy captures Leone’s unique point of view as a director, bringing close closer and pushing far farther, putting the viewer inside the action even as that action is partially obscured. The falling men frame the train and the skilled pistolero gunning them down. The triangular cone of black smoke from the locomotive churns the sky into a hellish furnace of scorched desert death. To give you an idea of the place of McCarthy’s imagery for the film, the price of a straight up, unsigned original poster printed from this painting can top $2000-.

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Please note that the first unframed photo is most accurate for color. Framed photographs are to show the frame and are not color corrected to the painting.

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