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Lot Essay
Thomas Moran painted Grand Canyon in 1916, a period in the artist's career when he enjoyed preeminence as America's foremost painter of the West. Moran's grand vision of light, space and the majesty of the natural world has come to define the Western landscape in the American imagination.
Moran has painted the landscape in a pristine, natural state. The geological formations do not bear the mark of human progress; instead, the composition evokes the passage of history and the timeless beauty of the natural world. Light falls across the canyon, emphasizing its heroic size and scale. Grand Canyon reflects Moran's skills as both a brilliant colorist and as a master of composition. The tints of the canyon walls are subtly defined with intense touches of color, yet the overall impression of the composition underscores the majesty and beauty of the landscape.
The Grand Canyon is among the greatest wonders of the American West, and the area was an enduring source of inspiration for Moran's art until his death in 1926. Grand Canyon exemplifies the artist's approach to painting the canyon, in which his subject matter is instilled with mythical meaning unique to the American West. The painting's pristine vision of a vast, unspoiled wilderness underscores Moran's commitment and devotion to the majesty and splendor of the American West.
The Grand Canyon never ceased to fascinate Moran. The canyon's ever-changing weather patterns and the brilliant effects of light coupled with the dramatic landscape of deep chasms and dramatic rock formations appealed to the artist's romantic sense of color and his concern for atmospheric effects. Works such as Grand Canyon that celebrated the national landscape were met with great critical acclaim during his day, and these paintings remain as testaments to his enduring love for the expansive and majestic American West.
This work will be included in Stephen L. Good's and Phyllis Braff's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work.
Moran has painted the landscape in a pristine, natural state. The geological formations do not bear the mark of human progress; instead, the composition evokes the passage of history and the timeless beauty of the natural world. Light falls across the canyon, emphasizing its heroic size and scale. Grand Canyon reflects Moran's skills as both a brilliant colorist and as a master of composition. The tints of the canyon walls are subtly defined with intense touches of color, yet the overall impression of the composition underscores the majesty and beauty of the landscape.
The Grand Canyon is among the greatest wonders of the American West, and the area was an enduring source of inspiration for Moran's art until his death in 1926. Grand Canyon exemplifies the artist's approach to painting the canyon, in which his subject matter is instilled with mythical meaning unique to the American West. The painting's pristine vision of a vast, unspoiled wilderness underscores Moran's commitment and devotion to the majesty and splendor of the American West.
The Grand Canyon never ceased to fascinate Moran. The canyon's ever-changing weather patterns and the brilliant effects of light coupled with the dramatic landscape of deep chasms and dramatic rock formations appealed to the artist's romantic sense of color and his concern for atmospheric effects. Works such as Grand Canyon that celebrated the national landscape were met with great critical acclaim during his day, and these paintings remain as testaments to his enduring love for the expansive and majestic American West.
This work will be included in Stephen L. Good's and Phyllis Braff's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work.