Description
Thomas Moran is especially well known for his sweeping views of remote areas in the American West. A gifted watercolorist who was deeply influenced by J. M. W. Turner, Moran found a realistic equivalent for the Englishman’s art in the strange hues of the mountains of Wyoming and Nevada, the bubbling springs and vaporous geysers of Yellowstone, and the fantastic rock formations of Arizona. Although he enjoyed dramatic effects, Moran did not exaggerate the spectacular landscapes of the American West; watercolors such as Ruby Range are accurate even in their surprising palettes, achieving an almost visionary intensity.
Provenance
(The Milch Galleries, New York, NY, cat no. 21.) (1927-1927); (Biltmore Salon, Los Angeles, CA, January 1927, cat. no. 22, sold.) (1927); Henry A. [1856-1917] and Josephine P. [1866-1938] Everett, Cleveland, OH. (1927?-1938); Bequest of Josephine P. Everett to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, for the Dorothy Burnham Everett Memorial Collection. (1938-)
Accession Number
1938.67
Medium
watercolor, gouache and graphite
Dimensions
Sheet: 19.6 x 36.2 cm (7 11/16 x 14 1/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Credit Line
Bequest of Mrs. Henry A. Everett for the Dorothy Burnham Everett Memorial Collection
Tags
Drawing Impressionist & Modern (1851–1900) Watercolor Graphite & Pencil Gouache American Color: Gray
Background & Context
Background Story
The Ruby Range, Nevada from 1879 is a watercolor and gouache study of the Ruby Mountains in northeastern Nevada, executed during Moran's travels in the American West. The watercolor medium allowed Moran to capture the specific effects of western light and atmosphere with a directness and luminosity that his larger oil paintings sometimes sacrifice to compositional grandeur. The Ruby Range—the subject of this study—is a mountain range that Moran visited on his way to or from the more famous western landmarks that he painted, and the study demonstrates his ability to find compositional interest in less celebrated western scenery.
Cultural Impact
Moran's western watercolors are among his most important works because they record the specific effects of western light and atmosphere with a directness and freshness that his larger oil paintings sometimes lack. The Ruby Range study demonstrates that Moran's compositional interest extended beyond the famous landmarks of the West to include the less celebrated scenery that he encountered on his travels—a mountain range that is no less beautiful for being less famous.
Why It Matters
The Ruby Range, Nevada is Moran's western watercolor at its most luminous: a Nevada mountain range rendered with the directness and atmospheric specificity that the watercolor medium allows. The study demonstrates that Moran found compositional interest in less celebrated western scenery—no less beautiful for being less famous than Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon.
