Frontier by Jim Krantz blends cinematic portraits of cowboys and expansive landscapes with experimental works to create a visual representation of the mythical American West.
The book is the first monograph by photographer Jim Krantz who has spent his life and work immersed in the landscape and culture embedded in American national identity.
“When I worked at the store with my dad, I’d often sneak off to the stockyards. Watching the cowboys herd cattle and horses, their ropes spinning effortlessly, left an indelible impression on me. It was a vivid, living image of strength and independence, one that has stayed with me all my life,” says Krantz.
Krantz produces different styles of photos: the book opens with a short series of closely cropped black and white images capturing the movement of a charging bull, horse, and rider. While other images are awash with color—abstract portraits and landscapes reworked with light and a variety of experimental materials from resin to wet paint. The additional layers emphasize the sense of movement and mood, suggesting the sound, heat, and intensity of the scene.
These are also more traditional photographs created by Krantz that depict large-scale movements of cowboys and horse herds in remote settings — constructing the myth of the American West. The book closes with further black and white images depicting the man-made — a white house in the desert, a bedroom decorated with pictures of horses, a Pepsi sign — and the final frame, a rattlesnake symbolizing the volatile, untamed danger of nature.
“The images in this book are the result of a lifetime of experiences, collaborations, and lessons from family and mentors. They reflect my connection to the American West — a place where survival becomes art and freedom is a way of life… The title of this book, Frontier, represents the boundary between the known and the unknown, a space where I’ve always felt most inspired. Whether in the vast landscapes or the solitary figures of cowboys, I see a metaphor for life itself: navigating the chaos, finding purpose, and embracing the challenge of the unfamiliar.”
Krantz has worked as a commercial artist for major U.S. brands such as Wrangler and Marlboro but always in the context of the American West. Widely reproduced anonymously for decades on billboards, in magazines, and in other media, his photographs have been viewed by millions and are further familarised through their appropriation by artist Richard Prince.
Frontier by Jim Krantz is published by GOST Books. It can be bought here.
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