Because western art is by definition topical, it is also by necessity representational, and often narrative. Western artists must therefore rely on a certain degree of realism to express themselves visually. While this tendency toward realism is out of keeping with abstract impressionism, which dominated the art world in the latter half of the twentieth century, it resonates positively with today's audiences.

Since the early 1990s, the Denver Art Museum has collected and exhibited the works of living American artists who celebrate western themes through representational forms of creative expression. Heart of the West pays tribute to those artists, in particular to the remarkable George Carlson. Their images embody the essence of the evolving American West.