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Lot Essay
Though best known for his grand landscape paintings of the American West, Thomas Moran also painted breathtaking images in oil and watercolor of scenes in Europe, in Mexico and the Caribbean, and in locales along the East Coast of the United States. Indeed, among the gems of Moran's oeuvre are the landscapes that he painted while near his home on Long Island and while traveling through Florida. The artist executed On the St. John's River, Florida during the first half of 1881, before returning to New York and settling into his New York City home with his wife, Mary, in June of that year.
Painted early in Moran's career, On the St. John's River, Florida relates stylistically to the Venetian scenes that he painted while abroad in 1886. With their exotic architecture and sailing vessels, and their dream-like atmospheres, the works share a sense of nostalgia for the non-industrial past. Moran captivates his viewer with this poetic, otherworldly rendering of a landscape seemingly trapped in time.
This painting will be included in Stephen L. Good and Phyllis Braff's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's works.
Painted early in Moran's career, On the St. John's River, Florida relates stylistically to the Venetian scenes that he painted while abroad in 1886. With their exotic architecture and sailing vessels, and their dream-like atmospheres, the works share a sense of nostalgia for the non-industrial past. Moran captivates his viewer with this poetic, otherworldly rendering of a landscape seemingly trapped in time.
This painting will be included in Stephen L. Good and Phyllis Braff's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's works.