| American Watercolors — Alfred Jacob Miller - Black Hills |
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Alfred Jacob Miller - Black Hills |
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Medium: Watercolor on paper Dimensions: 8 1/4 x 11 1/2 inches see also Lake in the Wind River Mountains These lyrical landscapes, both in excellent condition, represent compelling examples of the remarkable talents of one of the foremost artists of the American West. In 1837, Alfred Jacob Miller accompanied Captain William Drummond Stewart, a Scottish nobleman and adventurer, on an expedition to the Rocky Mountains. Miller painted these two evocative watercolors following that journey to the West, and they serve as important visual records by the first artist to explore the Rockies and various sites along what came to be known as the Oregon Trail. Miller brings to his frontier scenes an intimate approach, rendered in a style that faintly echoes that of the Old European Masters. This unusual combination of form and content, enlivened by a romantic outlook, ranks him among the finest painters of the American West. Miller's painterly touch was nurtured as a youth, when he received instructions in drawing from the portraitist Thomas Sully. His skills were developed abroad at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, where he honed his craft by studying and copying master paintings in the Louvre and throughout Europe, a path recorded in his many sketchbooks. Upon returning to Baltimore in 1834, Miller advertised as a painter, but when his fledgling business faltered he tested the waters in New Orleans. It was there that Miller had his fortuitous encounter with the aristocratic adventurer Stewart, who recognized the artist's rare talent and enlisted him to be his chief illustrator, with the task of capturing on paper the last of Stewart's expeditions to the West. It was works like these, inspired by Miller's journey, that cemented his fame, for they are widely recognized as being among the most romantic images of the American West ever created. Miller's works are often panoramic and dramatic, yet he was equally adept at depicting charming, intimate scenes. His free, vigorous painting style brings to life the American Indian, the rugged pioneer, and the majestic landscape of the frontier. After the voyage, Miller pursued a successful career as a portrait and genre painter in his native Baltimore. Most of his pictures remained in private hands during his lifetime, however, and more than half a century elapsed, following his death in 1874, before his Western views came to the attention of a larger audience. Today, he is regarded as having been one of the foremost artists of the American West. These two landscapes are stunning examples of Miller's best work, conveying the drama, danger and picturesque qualities of the American West of his day. |
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