Painters of Utah's Canyons and Deserts

by Donna L. Poulton, Vern G. Swanson

Overview

Vividly illustrated and exhaustively researched and documented, Painters of Utah's Canyons and Deserts weaves a sweeping tapestry of artists' attempts to capture the majesty, rare beauty, and raw danger of Utah's frontier West.

A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF ARTISTS WHO PAINTED SOUTHERN UTAH, INCLUDING:

• Solomon Nunes Carvalho
• Frederick S. Dellenbaugh
• John Heber Stansfield
• William Keith
• Samuel Coleman
• Thomas Moran
• Minerva B. K. Teichert
• Maynard Dixon
• LeConte Stewart
• J. Roman Andrus
• Birger Sandzén
• Everett Ruess
• Georgia O'Keeffe
• Max Ernst
• Alfred Lambourne
• Henry L. A. Culmer
• Donald Beauregard

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423601845
Publisher:	Smith, Gibbs Publisher
Publication date:	05/02/2009
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	12.76(w) x 11.04(h) x 1.24(d)
Age Range:	16 Years

About the Author

Donna L. Poulton is Associate Curator of Utah and Western Art at the University of Utah's Museum of Fine Arts. She has written articles on Utah and Western art, and is the coauthor of Utah Art, Utah Artists. She lives in Salt Lake City.

Vern G. Swanson has been the director of the Springville, Utah, Museum of Art since 1980. He has published fourteen art history books as sole or joint author, five of these on Utah art, a major tome titled Dynasty of the Holy Grail, and Soviet Impressionist Painting. He lives in Springville, Utah.

Read an Excerpt

The authors have wisely organized the book into three parts, each with subcategories:

—PART 1: Utah’s Red Rock, 1848–1970. The first six chapters begin with the identification of those early survey artists like Richard H. Kern, Frederick Dellenbaugh, Thomas Moran, and others who initially penetrated and explored a heretofore unknown region, bringing back testament to the American public about extraordinary landscapes. Prior to the explorer artists, however, early pioneer artists such as Alfred Lambourne and George Ottinger had already put down roots and were painting in Utah. Successive chapters discuss the role northern and southern Utah artists played in documenting the region. Finally, the last chapter identifies visiting artists like Maynard Dixon, Conrad Buff, Birger Sandzén, James Swinnerton, Edgar Payne, Milford Zornes, and others.

—PART 2: Utah’s Plateau Parks and Monuments, 1900–Present. These four chapters center on those artists who havestaked out Utah’s national parks and monuments; Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef, the Grand Staircase-Escalante, and the little known backcountry. Such noted artists as Gunnar Widforss, Franz Bischoff, Georgia O’Keeffe, and surrealist Max Ernst are profiled along with a number of lesser known artists from 1900 to the present.

—PART 3: Utah’s Continuing Allure, 1960–Present. The last two chapters explore the continuing allure of the region, looking at both those contemporary artists who continue tending the flame in the tradition of realism and those who take a more edgy, conceptual approach. Among those artists are Utah resident Gary Ernest Smith and Phoenix-based Ed Mell. Extensive endnotes at the conclusion of the text offer additional information about the painters and their backgrounds.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD: A Voice for Utah’s Canyons and Deserts viii

Do n a l d J . Ha g e r t y

GEOLOGICAL OVERVIEW: The Red Rock of Utah x

L a r r y G. C l a r k s o n

INTRODUCTION: Painters of Utah’s Red Rock, Piñon, and Sage xii

Do n n a L . P o u l t o n

PART 1: Utah’s Red Rock, 1848–1970 1

1 Thomas Moran & the Great Survey Artists, 1848–1903 3

2 William Jackson & the Visiting Artists, 1866–1900 27

3 Alfred Lambourne, Henry Culmer & the Early Utah Artists, 1864–1914 35

4 Northern Utah Artists & the Southern Landscape, 1904–1970 49

5 Southern Utah Artists & Their Painted Environment, 1911–1970 77

6 Maynard Dixon & the Visiting Artists, 1923–1970 101

PART 2: Utah’s Plateau Parks & Monuments, 1900–Present 127

7 Zion National Park, 1900–Present 129

8 Bryce Canyon National Park, 1900–Present 153

9 Backcountry Arches, Bridges & Monuments, 1900–Present 167

10 Capitol Reef & the Grand Staircase–Escalante, 1970–Present 195

PART 3: Utah’s Continuing Allure, 1960–Present 211

11 Contemporary Traditional Paintings, 1960–Present 213

12 Contemporary Modern Images, 1970–Present 241

EPILOGUE: The Aesthetic Imagination & the Legacy of the Plateau 268

Endnotes 270

Bibliography 278

Index 284

Editorial Reviews

Painters of Utah''s Canyons and Deserts is a welcome addition to any art enthusiast''s bookshelf because it gives readers both a historical context and visual progression of the landscape through paintings created by Utah''s past and present artists.

From the Publisher

Painters of Utah's Canyons and Deserts is a welcome addition to any art enthusiast's bookshelf because it gives readers both a historical context and visual progression of the landscape through paintings created by Utah's past and present artists.

Southwest Art

This is a tremendous book - almost as big as a canyon itself. It's full of superb paintings and I like the broad selection with its wide appeal. This si much more than a coffee table book, it includes a series of essays giving a background to the painters that have visited and painted this region. Is there anything more wondrous than the canyons of this area? These painters capture the essence of the canyons - the quality of the light, the texture of the rock surfaces, the scale of the magnificent scenery and the colours of the desert and canyon. I have too many favourites to mention them all here. Some of the paintings are breathtaking. I think in this huge selection, there is something for everyone. This is a dramatic book that serves its dramatic subject well.

www.karenplatt.co.uk/review - Karen Platt

This is a tremendous book - almost as big as a canyon itself. It's full of superb paintings and I like the broad selection with its wide appeal. This si much more than a coffee table book, it includes a series of essays giving a background to the painters that have visited and painted this region. Is there anything more wondrous than the canyons of this area? These painters capture the essence of the canyons - the quality of the light, the texture of the rock surfaces, the scale of the magnificent scenery and the colours of the desert and canyon. I have too many favourites to mention them all here. Some of the paintings are breathtaking. I think in this huge selection, there is something for everyone. This is a dramatic book that serves its dramatic subject well.

— Karen Platt

www.karenplatt.co.uk/review

This is a tremendous book - almost as big as a canyon itself. It's full of superb paintings and I like the broad selection with its wide appeal. This si much more than a coffee table book, it includes a series of essays giving a background to the painters that have visited and painted this region. Is there anything more wondrous than the canyons of this area? These painters capture the essence of the canyons - the quality of the light, the texture of the rock surfaces, the scale of the magnificent scenery and the colours of the desert and canyon. I have too many favourites to mention them all here. Some of the paintings are breathtaking. I think in this huge selection, there is something for everyone. This is a dramatic book that serves its dramatic subject well.

— Karen Platt

karenplatt.co.uk/review