Edgar Alwin Payne

Private Collection, Irvine, California

George Stern Fine Arts, Los Angeles (acquired from the above in 2011)

Acquired from the above in 2012 by the present owner

Executed circa 1917, Edgar Alwin Payne’s A Canyon Vista, California is a well-developed rendering of the raw and distinguished landscape of California. Known affectionately as the “poet painter of the California Sierra”, Payne’s varied and magnetic color palette in A Canyon Vista, California exemplifies his ability to capture the grandiosity of California’s awe-inspiring natural landscapes (Fred Hogue, “Grandeur of California Sierras: Paints Sunset Glow and Morning Light,” Hemet (CA) News, 1927). 

The sturdy, proud tree in the foreground, as set against the dramatic mountain range of A Canyon Vista, California, drawing the viewer into the majesty of America’s rugged landscape. Heralded as “the God of the Mountains”, Payne’s efforts to monumentalize the grandeur of the American West confirms his prominence and aptitude in recording the local light, color, and beauty of California’s terrain (Scott A Shields and Patricia Trenton, Edgar Payne: The Scenic Journey, “Edgar Payne: The Scenic Journey”, p. 69).