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The Green River became one of the artist’s favorite Western subjects—one that became quintessentially Moran’s—and inspired some of the most majestic and iconic images in the visual history of the American West. Here, Moran spectacularly captures the domineering silhouette of the most prominent formation within the area’s diverse geological formations. In brilliant tones of yellow, orange, green and blue, Moran skillfully depicts the textures in the scene, using a variegated paint surface to convey the butte’s rough sandstone façade. Echoing the warm landforms, the sky is a diversified palette of clouds and sun which further highlights the majesty of the landscape. Together with the cliffs in the distance, the river leads the viewer through the landscape, from the lush foliage at left to the brilliant blue river at right. The unique reflection of the towering canyon in the water echoes the majesty of the surrounding landscape.
ProvenanceMr. and Mrs. John A. Price, Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 1918.
Mr. Harry French Montgomery, Kansas City, Missouri, nephew of the above.
Sotheby's, New York, 29 May 1986, lot 101.
Wunderlich Gallery, New York.
Christie's 2024
Artist
Thomas Moran
(American, 1837 - 1926)
Afterglow, Green River, Wyoming
Date1918
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsSight: 19 1/2 × 29 1/2 in. (49.5 × 74.9 cm)
Object numberN0007.2024(02)
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Label TextIn the late nineteenth century, stories and images from the American West captivated the public’s imagination. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem, Song of Hiawatha, published in 1855 had much the same effect that James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans provoked years earlier. Since his first trip West and the subsequent establishment of Yellowstone National Park, Thomas Moran’s imagery of the unique and mystical natural wonders of the region furthered popular fascination with this relatively new land. Chief among his grand subjects were the remarkable cliffs found surrounding the railroad depot of Green River, Wyoming. Moran’s images of this subject would become virtually synonymous with the American fantasy of the West.The Green River became one of the artist’s favorite Western subjects—one that became quintessentially Moran’s—and inspired some of the most majestic and iconic images in the visual history of the American West. Here, Moran spectacularly captures the domineering silhouette of the most prominent formation within the area’s diverse geological formations. In brilliant tones of yellow, orange, green and blue, Moran skillfully depicts the textures in the scene, using a variegated paint surface to convey the butte’s rough sandstone façade. Echoing the warm landforms, the sky is a diversified palette of clouds and sun which further highlights the majesty of the landscape. Together with the cliffs in the distance, the river leads the viewer through the landscape, from the lush foliage at left to the brilliant blue river at right. The unique reflection of the towering canyon in the water echoes the majesty of the surrounding landscape.
ProvenanceMr. and Mrs. John A. Price, Okmulgee, Oklahoma, 1918.
Mr. Harry French Montgomery, Kansas City, Missouri, nephew of the above.
Sotheby's, New York, 29 May 1986, lot 101.
Wunderlich Gallery, New York.
Christie's 2024
On View
On view
