The American West
March 23, 2023 / Helen Kachur
Website, https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/landscape_art/american_west.html#:~:text=Most%20Americans%20could%20not%20imagine,accessible%20to%20the%20general%20public.
article, watercolor in jasper, https://watercolourinjasper.com/
The American West
“It was during one of the darkest hours, before Sherman had begun the march upon Atlanta or Grant his terrible movement through the Wilderness, when the paintings of Bierstadt and the photographs of Watkins, both productions of the War time, had given to the people on the Atlantic some idea of the sublimity of the Yosemite…”
Frederick Law Olmsted, 1864
Artists of the nineteenth century played a key role in helping to heal the nation following the Civil War. Beginning with pioneering photographer Carleton Watkins (1829–1916) and his impressive portfolio of Western landscape prints, many artists provided visual evidence of the majesty of the American West. Most Americans could not imagine the drama of western landscapes until artists like Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt, inspired by Watkins, traveled west and documented the grand vistas on canvas.
These artists made the panoramic landscapes and natural phenomena of the West accessible to the general public. Moran’s extraordinary artwork captured Yellowstone’s unusual terrain and natural features. A skilled illustrator and an admirer of English artist John M. W. Turner, Moran also painted several areas that later became national parks, including the Grand Canyon.
On returning home, some artists took their paintings on tour, charging admission to see the painted wonders of the West. Most who came to see the paintings had not traveled west and were amazed by what they saw. These works of art shaped how viewers perceived these magnificent scenes and fostered the movement to conserve the natural world.
The monumental Western landscape paintings, sketches, and photography were displayed in the halls of Congress. They played a crucial role in the passage of a law requiring that the Yosemite Valley be set aside and protected for the future enjoyment of all citizens. In 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park, signifying a commitment to conservation stewardship as a national value. Artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries captured Western vistas that ranged from the rugged mountains and deep valleys of the high Sierras to the below-sea-level deserts of California and the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon.
The sweeping landscapes of the Four Corners—Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah—were alluring to painters and photographers alike. They recognized the remarkable quality of the Southwestern light that rendered the landscape and distant horizons distinctly. Artists, many from Eastern cities, were drawn to the engaging confluence of cultures and the vast light filled terrain. Their canvases framed the big skies, mesas, and canyons and distilled its radiant beauty, intense color, and majestic grandeur.