Questroyal 2009

was able to achieve his desired “painted equivalents to natural phenomena, especially sunrise and sunset characteristics,” due to the area’s “flat, broad terrain [that] offered great distances for expanded effects.” 6 Similar to his Western compositions, Moran used the topography of East Hampton to his advantage, creating grand landscapes—such as Sunset —that capture the drama of nature’s thrilling, andmost artistically demanding, displays. — jlw Moran’s compositions may be viewed nationwide at institutions including The Met- ropolitan Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 1 Robert Allerton Parker, “The Water-Colors of Thomas Moran,” in Thomas Moran: Explorer in Search of Beauty , Fritiof Fryxell, ed., (East Hampton, N.Y.: East Hampton Free Library, 1958 ), p. 78 . Quoted in Patricia Biggs, “Painting across Time: Grand Canyon Landscapes on Canvas,” http://www.asu.edu/clas/grandcanyonhistory/ history_visualarts_landscapeart.html (accessed August 3, 2009 ). 2 Richard Ladegast, “Thomas Moran, N. A.” Truth 19 (September 1900 ). Quoted in Nancy K. Anderson, Thomas Moran , exh. cat. (Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art; New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1997 ), p. 164 . 3 Fritiof Fryxell, “Thomas Moran, Explorer in Search of Beauty,” in Thomas Moran, Explorer in Search of Beauty , p. 16 . 4 Thomas Moran to Ferdinand V. Hayden, March 11, 1872 . Hayden Survey Correspon- dence III , National Archives and Record Service. Quoted inWilliam H. Truettner, “‘Scenes of Majesty and Enduring Interest’: Thomas Moran Goes West,” The Art Bulletin 58 , no. 2 (June 1976 ): 243 . 5 Thomas Moran, “Knowledge a Prime Requisite in Art,” Brush and Pencil 7 , no. 1 (April 1903 ): 15 . 6 Phyllis Braff, Thomas Moran, a Search for the Scenic, His Landscapes of the American West, East Hampton, and Venice , exh. cat. (East Hampton, N.Y.: Guild Hall Museum, 1981 ), p. 22 . An artist’s business is to produce for the spectator of his pictures the impression produced by nature on himself. thomas moran, 1903 5 Plate 31 A Side Canyon, Grand Canyon, Arizona , detail