Annual Nationalism Exhibit
Thomas Moran: Artist of the New Era
Contribution to the Art World
Thomas Moran was part of the new wave of artists during the 1800's who focused mainly on the portrayal of American soil. They painted mostly landscapes made the United States look like a very open and tranquil country. Moran, while working along many others, focused more on the unsettled land that was newly acquired. Ranging from the Great Lakes to Yellowstone, Thomas Moran's nationalistic paintings inspired others during the age of Manifest Destiny. His colorful, light displays drew onlookers toward western territory to spread out and settle. His romantic style also moved men toward the Pacific by making it seem as though man and nature could coexist in peace where people were less thickly settled. His main contribution to the art world was through his practice of color and display, which was inspired by English painters, particularly Joseph Turner, he was able to bring his own particular style that separated him from other landscapers.
Green River Cliffs, Wyoming, 1881
Moran uses oil on canvas to paint travellers moving through the Green River Cliffs of Wyoming. The men in the image serve as an inspiration to the viewer that settling west is not an unpopular move. They also show how free life in the wesr is, as the men are wildly riding horses through the cliffs. The illuminous cliffs also act as a lure to new settlement. Their golden color suggests that influence of Manifest Destiny, where God has lit the path for Americans to spread nationwide.
Sunset, Green River Butte, 1916
By using oil on canvas, Moran is able to create a romantic, realistic painting of the Green River area in Wyoming. His use of bright colors draw the reader to look directly towards the mountains in the background, then toward the pool of water, then the folliage on their sides. The movement of this piece creates a open effect, where the viewers feels as though they are looking onto this scene themselves. Its extensive effect draws the idea of Westward Expasion by drawing in its viewer, causing them to see the beauty that awaits in the unsettled teritory.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 1872
Painted with oil on canvas, this display of the Grand Canyon at Yellowstone is painted to look very earthy and natural, inspired by Moran's color palatte. It is painted to inspire Americans to move west, represented by the men at the botton left. The golden effect over the canyon is used to portray God's light shed over the land, open for exploration and settlement. The light is also shown in the distance, rather than close, to draw settlers farther west.
Personal Background
About Thomas Moran
In 1837 in Bolton, Lancashire, England, Moran was born to two handloomers. The rapid industrialization of the times caused his parents to be forced out of work and move their family to Kensington, Philadelphia. There, at sixteen, Moran apprenticed at a wood carving firm, where his began to draw and paint seriously. His western work began in 1860 when he first travelled to Lake Superior, where he painted landscapes that would inspire his other works. Later in 1871, he was assigned to Ferdinand Hayden's Geological Survey Expedition in what is now Yellowstone National Park. Along with his partner William Henry Jackson, a photographer, they documented luminous scenes that were instrumental in persuading Congress to set aside the land for a National Park. The duo became lasting partners during verious western expeditions before Moran travelled to Venice for a new scene to paint. In his old age, he moved permanently to the west in Santa Barbara, California, where he focused on painting the natives of the area. He later died in 1926 of natural causes.