Giddy up! Photos from the wild frontier

The Guardian

04-06-2025

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. Although static, these classical monochrome images convey the action unfolding in front of Krantz's camera. Frontier by Jim Krantz can be pre-ordered via GOST Books
Jim Krantz: 'My paternal grandfather, David Krantz, came to America through Ellis Island in 1914. He rarely spoke of 'the old country', a place he left behind with its shadows and hardships. Instead, he poured his heart into celebrating the life he built here. He loved being an American, and that pride became part of my DNA. He started out selling fruit and newspapers in Omaha and, with my father, eventually opened a furniture store in South Omaha, right next to the stockyards'
'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'
Some of Krantz's images are awash with colour. Abstract portraits and landscapes are reworked with light and a variety of experimental materials from resin to wet paint
The additional layers emphasise the sense of movement and mood, suggesting the sound, heat and intensity of the scene
Art critic David Pagel writes: 'Krantz's Frontier is a symphony of light and shadow, a meditation on the space between what is seen and what is felt. It doesn't follow a path but creates one, inviting the viewer to wander without a map, to lose themselves in a terrain where moments whisper instead of shout, and the silence between images speaks volumes'
The publication of Frontier comes at a time when aspects of everyday life – air conditioning, desk jobs, lack of access to nature and the reliance on the motor car – increase man's divorce from this way of life. With the number of working farms and ranches in the US in a slow but steady decline, Krantz's book is a resonant homage to the fast disappearing myth of the American west
Krantz's photographs often feel familiar. His commercial work for major US brands such as Wrangler and Marlboro have made his imagery synonymous with that associated with the dream of the American west
David Pagel: 'The work resists definition, much like a horizon that recedes the closer you get. It is a conversation between chaos and clarity, where fragments of the familiar dissolve into the unexpected. Each frame feels like the residue of a fleeting memory, the kind that lingers just out of reach yet reshapes how you see the world'
Jim Krantz: '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'
David Pagel: 'Krantz's vision unfolds in layers, not as answers but as questions. It challenges the rhythm of our hurried gaze, slowing time into fractured moments where dreams collide with reality. It is both personal and expansive, like a journal written in a language only the heart understands, where the lines between past, present and future blur into a kaleidoscopic now'
David Pagel: 'Frontier is less a book than a frontier itself – a liminal space that hovers between the tangible and the ephemeral, the real and the imagined. It captures the freedom of not knowing what's next, the fleeting beauty of uncertainty, and the power of accidents to become revelations. Here, photography becomes alchemy, turning the ordinary into something transcendent and leaving us to wonder if we're looking at the world, or a reflection of something deeper'
Experimental images are accompanied by more traditional photographs. Krantz created these by choreographing large-scale movements of cowboys and horse herds in remote settings
Jim Krantz: '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'
Jim Krantz: 'The title of this book, Frontier, represents the boundary between the known and the unknown, a space where I've always felt most inspired'
Jim Krantz: 'This project is deeply personal – a celebration of resilience, creativity, and the quiet strength of those who work against the odds. To the cowboys I have worked with and who inspire these images, I owe my deepest gratitude. Their skill, authenticity, and unyielding spirit have brought these photographs to life and continue to inspire me every day'