Thomas Moran (1837-1926)
Property from an Oklahoma Private Collection
Thomas Moran (1837-1926)

Upper Falls of the Yellowstone

Details
Thomas Moran (1837-1926)
Upper Falls of the Yellowstone
signed with initials in monogram 'TMoran./1873' (lower right)
watercolor, gouache and pencil on paper
12 ¾ x 10 in. (32.4 x 25.4 cm.), image; 13 3/8 x 10 3/8 in. (34 x 26.4 cm.), sheet
Executed in 1873.
Provenance
Private collection, Willingboro, New Jersey.
J.N. Bartfield Galleries, New York; Spanierman Gallery, LLC, New York; Rosenstock Arts, Denver, Colorado, acquired from the above.
Acquired by the late owner from the above, 1984.

Lot Essay

After travelling to Yellowstone in 1867, James Dunlevy wrote of the then largely unexplored area, “Tall spires of colossal grandeur which in beauty and symmetry are superior to any works of art; beetling cliffs of rock…turreted like castles and rolling away off in beautiful white pyramidal forms, were to be seen on every side. Language is not adequate to convey an idea of the marvelous beauty of the scenery, which is beyond the power of descriptions, and begets a wonderful fascination in the mind of the beholder who reverently gazes at the snow crowned summits, that seem as if ‘they were to show how earth may pierce to Heaven and leave vain man below.’…We trust ere long some select party, well prepared and equipped, will be able to penetrate these wilds and reveal to the world its manifest beauties, existing as they do in all their pristine grandeur.” (as quoted in J.L. Kinsey, Thomas Moran and the Surveying of the American West, Washington, D.C., 1992, p. 47)

No more mysterious or wonderful a place could have been described to stimulate intense interest from the American public, and no greater challenge could have been issued for an enterprising young painter looking to make a name for himself. Inspired by such accounts, in 1871 Thomas Moran secured sponsorship to set out for Virginia City, Montana, to join the United States Geological Survey of Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden. Traveling by horseback through Southern Montana and Northeastern Wyoming, the expedition explored spectacular natural wonders, including the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone Lake and, ultimately, the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins of the Firehole River. Accompanying the photographer William Henry Jackson, with whom he frequently worked in a near collaborative manner, Moran often lagged behind the group, wandering afield to dash off sketches of these magical places. The painter was particularly inspired by the Falls of the Yellowstone area, where the pair lingered behind for at least four days, prompting Jackson to later report: “Moran’s enthusiasm was greater here than anywhere else.” (as quoted in T. Wilkins, Thomas Moran: Artist of the Mountains, Norman, Oklahoma, 1966, p. 91)

Moran raced home with the spoils of his trip to set about creating finished compositions in his East Coast studio. The hurried field studies that he had completed in Yellowstone, often with little detail other than contour lines and numerous annotations, together with Jackson’s photographs, provided the artist with reference for some of his most accomplished paintings. Moran would rely on these materials, as well as his powerful memory of the experience, over the course of his long career. Moran later reflected, “Since that time, I have wandered over a good part of the Territories and have seen much of the varied scenery of the Far West, but that of the Yellowstone retains its hold upon my imagination with a vividness as of yesterday…The impression then made upon me by the stupendous and remarkable manifestations of nature’s forces will remain with me as long as memory lasts.” (as quoted in C. Clark, Explorers of the West, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1997, p. 27)

Created just two years after Moran’s inspiring first trip to the area, Upper Falls of the Yellowstone represents the artist at his best, characterized by precise renderings of topography and extremely delicate gradations of tone. Without losing the integrity of his first-hand observation, in the present work Moran renders a wide range of effects that instill upon his viewer, then as today, the intense spectacle of his subject. Utilizing subtle washes and intensely varying tones, Moran establishes the textures of his scene. The earth, water and sky are carefully set against each other in alternating areas of light and dark in deep, warm burgundy and soft, cold cerulean. Amidst the clear light, plumes of mist, as fresh and cool as the blues with which Moran painted, seem to descend upon the viewer, just as they descend upon the figure in the foreground. This creel-laden fisherman not only lends scale to the composition, but also presents a further means by which the viewer enters the artist’s world.

Moran’s achievement with the Yellowstone subject was almost immediately recognized and indeed was instrumental in Congress’ decision to make the area America’s first National Park. "Years later William Henry Jackson wrote that during the Yellowstone debate 'the watercolors of Thomas Moran and the photographs of the Geology Survey [Jackson's] were the most important exhibits brought before the Committee'…'They did a work which no other agency could do and doubtless convinced everyone who saw them that the regions where such wonders existed should be carefully preserved for the people forever.'" (N.K. Anderson, Thomas Moran, Washington, D.C., 1997, p. 53) In addition, private collectors were keen to obtain examples of what were quickly becoming the most sought after works of art in America. Chief among these was English industrialist William Blackmore, who commissioned a series of Yellowstone watercolors in 1872 that were described as “the most brilliant and poetic pictures that have been done in America thus far.” (as quoted in Thomas Moran, p. 74) One of the Blackmore commissions, The Upper Falls of the Yellowstone (Thomas Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma), is strikingly similar to the present work, which was likely executed for a similar commission.

Beyond private collectors of the original paintings, Moran’s striking images of Yellowstone appeared in several periodicals and special publications. For example, Picturesque America, focusing on little-known natural wonders of America, published a woodblock print related to Moran’s paintings of the Upper Falls, and a series of fifteen chromolithographs adapted from his watercolors were published in 1876 by Louis Prang. As a result, Moran’s early Yellowstone imagery served as a turning point in the artist’s career and firmly established him as one of the most celebrated artists in America. Demonstrating Moran’s mastery of light, color and composition as well as his ability to capture the spirit and essence of the Western landscape, Upper Falls of the Yellowstone possesses all the best qualities of this seminal 1870s series, which ranks amongst the most important early contributions to both environmental conservation and the cultural patrimony of our nation.

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