Lot Essay
Among Edgar Payne's most celebrated works are his monumental canvases of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Originally from Chicago, Payne first visited California in 1909 and began spending his summers there in the 1910s. Over the course of several decades Payne explored the beauty of the California wilderness and the Sierra Nevadas, and his depictions of the majestic mountains reveal his reverence for this particular mountain range.
Lake in the High Sierra is among Payne's most impressive canvases of the Sierra Nevada mountains. During the late 1910s and early 1920s the artist executed a number of smaller works in which he explored the lakes and snow-covered mountain slopes of the area. At this time Payne also became fascinated with the sense of light and space unique to the Sierra Nevadas and Southern California.
The size and scale of Lake in the High Sierra suggest that Payne intended the work to be a consummate statement about the mountains. The lake seen in the foreground of the composition may be Payne Lake, which was named after the artist. Lake in the High Sierra displays the artist's characteristic rich palette and bold brush strokes, which evoke the rugged qualities of the mountain landscape itself.
Lake in the High Sierra is among Payne's most impressive canvases of the Sierra Nevada mountains. During the late 1910s and early 1920s the artist executed a number of smaller works in which he explored the lakes and snow-covered mountain slopes of the area. At this time Payne also became fascinated with the sense of light and space unique to the Sierra Nevadas and Southern California.
The size and scale of Lake in the High Sierra suggest that Payne intended the work to be a consummate statement about the mountains. The lake seen in the foreground of the composition may be Payne Lake, which was named after the artist. Lake in the High Sierra displays the artist's characteristic rich palette and bold brush strokes, which evoke the rugged qualities of the mountain landscape itself.