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拍品专文
This work will be included in Stephen L. Good's and Phyllis Braff's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work.
Thomas Moran was immediately captivated by the Grand Canyon upon his first visit to the region in 1873. As exemplified by the present painting, his masterful body of work inspired by the area helped establish the natural wonder as an iconic American landmark and preserve it for future generations. Rendered with his characteristic attention to the unique atmospheric effects of the area, Grand Cañon after a Storm manifests the profound veneration and wonder that Moran harbored for his favorite subject. Here he presents a romantic and inspirational vision of the American West through an intimate composition that captures the unique character of the Grand Canyon as well as the endless possibilities of our nation.
Moran first visited the Grand Canyon in 1873 as a member of John Wesley Powell's surveying expedition. "Four years earlier Powell had captured the nation's attention when he led a small group of men in custom-crafted boats through the white water of the Colorado River. After listening to Powell describe the landscape through which the river had cut its path, Moran quickly perceived a subject equal in grandeur to that of Yellowstone. Already planning a pendant for his painting Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which Congress had purchased for the Capitol in 1872, Moran accepted Powell's invitation to join him the following summer." (N.K. Anderson, et al., Thomas Moran, exhibition catalogue, Washington, D.C., 1997, p. 358) Moran was amazed by the unique and dramatic light, color and topography of the place and later wrote, "Of all places on earth the great canyon of Arizona is the most inspiring in its pictorial possibilities." (as quoted in J.L. Kinsey, "Thomas Moran's Surveys of Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon: The Coalition of Art, Business, and Government" in A.R. Morand, et al., Splendors of the American West: Thomas Moran's Art of the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, Birmingham, Alabama, 1990, p. 37)
When Moran travelled West, even under the auspices of precise geologic transcription, he was far more interested in capturing and conveying the awe-inspiring effect of the American landscape than precisely reproducing it. In Grand Cañon after a Storm, Moran selectively recalls elements from his experience in the Canyon to best communicate the sublimity of his chosen landscape. This tactic was noted by contemporary observers of his working method: "Mr. Moran had the emotional side of his nature well under control. When others hurried from place to place, lest some new view escape their attention, he sat on a convenient rock near the brink and gazed silently into space, watching the shadows come and go and absorbing the subtle transformation caused by the always changing sunlight...He sketched scarcely at all, contenting himself with pencil memoranda of a few rock forms, and making no color notes whatsoever. He depended upon keen powers of observation and a well-trained memory for rich tones which perhaps a year later were to reappear on canvas, true to nature and likewise true to the interpretive touch of genius." (T. Wilkins, Thomas Moran: Artist of the Mountains, Norman, Oklahoma, 1966, p. 217)
In Grand Cañon after a Storm, Moran is unquestionably successful in his recollection and in masterfully capturing the majesty of the place, and the awe and wonder that it evokes. He mesmerizes the viewer, presenting a spectacular expanse of rugged peaks and atmospheric valleys. Throughout, there is a dramatic play of light and shadow on the fantastic natural forms, heightened by his celebrated ability to capture the various colors and textures that characterize the Canyon. Using color modulations and a variegated paint surface, he skillfully conveys the cliffs' rough sandstone façades. He wrote of his fascination with the Grand Canyon, "its tremendous architecture fills one with wonder and admiration, and its color, forms and atmosphere are so ravishingly beautiful that, however well-traveled one may be, a new world is opened to him when he gazes into the Grand Canyon of Arizona." (as quoted in Thomas Moran: Artist of the Mountains, p. 216)
All the while, a portion of his vista is cloaked in tempestuous clouds and showers, indicating the capricious weather patterns of the area and their effect on the landscape. For Moran, the ever-changing appearance of the Canyon due to the effects of weather and light provided a ceaseless supply of inspiration. In Grand Cañon after a Storm, Moran delights in the mists and clouds as they conceal and mystify some aspects of the landscape and highlight others. While the work has been known as several other titles over the years, including Grand Canyon of Arizona at Sunrise; Sunrise on the Grand Canyon; and Mist after Rain, Grand Canyon, the dramatic effects of light and atmosphere that are the strength of this composition have consistently been noted. The artist’s daughter, Ruth Moran, wrote of the present work, “This canvas…is full of beauty, and the skill of his handling of the delicate light of morning and the filmy mists which pour down into the great depths, is a beautiful piece of painting…This beautiful little canvas is typically Thomas Moran.” (unpublished letter) Indeed, the gem-like composition is a triumph characteristic of the painter’s best efforts in the subject.
During their time, works such as Grand Cañon after a Storm conveyed the grandeur of the West to the American public, capturing their imagination and largely influencing their concept of the region. To today's viewers, they convey a dynamic moment in the nation's expansion and a powerful vision of one of America’s most distinct landforms. Carol Clark writes, "Moran's western canvases and watercolors depicted areas of great significance to the American public; they conferred historical legitimacy to a land lacking human associations and presented a stage for the unfolding drama of a nation's future. Moran's American landscape could also rise in status by association with historical themes. As America viewed her land, especially the West, as part of a natural historical past destined to determine a great future, Americans began to accept landscape painting in oil and watercolor as an integral and formative element of this destiny." (Thomas Moran: Watercolors of the American West, Austin, Texas, 1980, p. 35) It was the finest accomplishment of Moran's career that he transformed the allure of the West into an important part of the foundation of our American cultural identity.
Thomas Moran was immediately captivated by the Grand Canyon upon his first visit to the region in 1873. As exemplified by the present painting, his masterful body of work inspired by the area helped establish the natural wonder as an iconic American landmark and preserve it for future generations. Rendered with his characteristic attention to the unique atmospheric effects of the area, Grand Cañon after a Storm manifests the profound veneration and wonder that Moran harbored for his favorite subject. Here he presents a romantic and inspirational vision of the American West through an intimate composition that captures the unique character of the Grand Canyon as well as the endless possibilities of our nation.
Moran first visited the Grand Canyon in 1873 as a member of John Wesley Powell's surveying expedition. "Four years earlier Powell had captured the nation's attention when he led a small group of men in custom-crafted boats through the white water of the Colorado River. After listening to Powell describe the landscape through which the river had cut its path, Moran quickly perceived a subject equal in grandeur to that of Yellowstone. Already planning a pendant for his painting Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which Congress had purchased for the Capitol in 1872, Moran accepted Powell's invitation to join him the following summer." (N.K. Anderson, et al., Thomas Moran, exhibition catalogue, Washington, D.C., 1997, p. 358) Moran was amazed by the unique and dramatic light, color and topography of the place and later wrote, "Of all places on earth the great canyon of Arizona is the most inspiring in its pictorial possibilities." (as quoted in J.L. Kinsey, "Thomas Moran's Surveys of Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon: The Coalition of Art, Business, and Government" in A.R. Morand, et al., Splendors of the American West: Thomas Moran's Art of the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, Birmingham, Alabama, 1990, p. 37)
When Moran travelled West, even under the auspices of precise geologic transcription, he was far more interested in capturing and conveying the awe-inspiring effect of the American landscape than precisely reproducing it. In Grand Cañon after a Storm, Moran selectively recalls elements from his experience in the Canyon to best communicate the sublimity of his chosen landscape. This tactic was noted by contemporary observers of his working method: "Mr. Moran had the emotional side of his nature well under control. When others hurried from place to place, lest some new view escape their attention, he sat on a convenient rock near the brink and gazed silently into space, watching the shadows come and go and absorbing the subtle transformation caused by the always changing sunlight...He sketched scarcely at all, contenting himself with pencil memoranda of a few rock forms, and making no color notes whatsoever. He depended upon keen powers of observation and a well-trained memory for rich tones which perhaps a year later were to reappear on canvas, true to nature and likewise true to the interpretive touch of genius." (T. Wilkins, Thomas Moran: Artist of the Mountains, Norman, Oklahoma, 1966, p. 217)
In Grand Cañon after a Storm, Moran is unquestionably successful in his recollection and in masterfully capturing the majesty of the place, and the awe and wonder that it evokes. He mesmerizes the viewer, presenting a spectacular expanse of rugged peaks and atmospheric valleys. Throughout, there is a dramatic play of light and shadow on the fantastic natural forms, heightened by his celebrated ability to capture the various colors and textures that characterize the Canyon. Using color modulations and a variegated paint surface, he skillfully conveys the cliffs' rough sandstone façades. He wrote of his fascination with the Grand Canyon, "its tremendous architecture fills one with wonder and admiration, and its color, forms and atmosphere are so ravishingly beautiful that, however well-traveled one may be, a new world is opened to him when he gazes into the Grand Canyon of Arizona." (as quoted in Thomas Moran: Artist of the Mountains, p. 216)
All the while, a portion of his vista is cloaked in tempestuous clouds and showers, indicating the capricious weather patterns of the area and their effect on the landscape. For Moran, the ever-changing appearance of the Canyon due to the effects of weather and light provided a ceaseless supply of inspiration. In Grand Cañon after a Storm, Moran delights in the mists and clouds as they conceal and mystify some aspects of the landscape and highlight others. While the work has been known as several other titles over the years, including Grand Canyon of Arizona at Sunrise; Sunrise on the Grand Canyon; and Mist after Rain, Grand Canyon, the dramatic effects of light and atmosphere that are the strength of this composition have consistently been noted. The artist’s daughter, Ruth Moran, wrote of the present work, “This canvas…is full of beauty, and the skill of his handling of the delicate light of morning and the filmy mists which pour down into the great depths, is a beautiful piece of painting…This beautiful little canvas is typically Thomas Moran.” (unpublished letter) Indeed, the gem-like composition is a triumph characteristic of the painter’s best efforts in the subject.
During their time, works such as Grand Cañon after a Storm conveyed the grandeur of the West to the American public, capturing their imagination and largely influencing their concept of the region. To today's viewers, they convey a dynamic moment in the nation's expansion and a powerful vision of one of America’s most distinct landforms. Carol Clark writes, "Moran's western canvases and watercolors depicted areas of great significance to the American public; they conferred historical legitimacy to a land lacking human associations and presented a stage for the unfolding drama of a nation's future. Moran's American landscape could also rise in status by association with historical themes. As America viewed her land, especially the West, as part of a natural historical past destined to determine a great future, Americans began to accept landscape painting in oil and watercolor as an integral and formative element of this destiny." (Thomas Moran: Watercolors of the American West, Austin, Texas, 1980, p. 35) It was the finest accomplishment of Moran's career that he transformed the allure of the West into an important part of the foundation of our American cultural identity.