Fred Darge was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1923. He attended The Art Institute of Chicago and The Art Students League in New York, two of the best art schools in the country. In 1935, he moved to Dallas. Darge spent his summers painting on ranches in West Texas and New Mexico. As you can see in two of the paintings presented here, real ranching experience made him among the best early Texas artists to paint horses. All four of these examples of his work reveal his talent for reproducing the beautiful quality of light and atmosphere of the American West. In addition, Darge uses skillfully placed flora and rock formations to create a decorative effect across the surface of the canvas, which also contributes to his popularity.