- 79
Thomas Moran 1837 - 1926
Estimate
500,000 - 700,000 USD
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Description
- Thomas Moran
- Sunset, Amagansett
- signed T. Moran and dated 1905 (lower right)
- oil on canvas
- 30 1/2 by 40 1/2 inches
- (77.5 by 102.9 cm)
Provenance
Private Collection, Akron Ohio, 1970s
Sold: Coeur d'Alene, Reno, Nevada, July 26, 2008, lot 36, illustrated
Michael Altman Fine Art, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 2009
Sold: Coeur d'Alene, Reno, Nevada, July 26, 2008, lot 36, illustrated
Michael Altman Fine Art, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 2009
Catalogue Note
According to Phyllis Braff, "Amagansett, a hamlet on the south shore of eastern Long Island, was a frequent motif for Thomas Moran, who owned a studio-home in the adjacent village of East Hampton. Settled by Dutch farmers in the late 17th century, the hamlet had retained an Indian name and had also retained picturesque qualities that Moran found appealing. The unspoiled vegetation and small pools of water were well suited to an interest in serene, pastoral settings, and the windmill could provide a reference to an old, almost timeless lifestyle. His Amagansett themes were in tune with an era of renewed appreciation for the past and increasing opposition to spreading industrial development.
"Moran's reputation as a painter of resonant, luminous effects can be linked, in part, to the atmospheric conditions he included in his paintings of this region. Amagansett, an area of low terrain bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and by Gardiner's Bay and Accabonac Harbor on the other, provided an opportunity for the artist to add dramatic, water-enhanced reflections to compositions with large unbroken skies.
"Sunset, Amagansett with its pink, white and golden clouds ranging from celebratory to somber, is one of several Moran paintings of Long Island from this time that reinforce his strong interest in natural phenomena. In his concerns with observing the time of day, or the seasons, he often implies symbolic readings for these themes. Moran had begun to address the challenge of translating atmospheric characteristics to art in his early career. As a young artist studying the great landscape masters in London, he gave special attention to the skies of Constable and Turner. Sketches from this period were kept in his Long Island studio."
"Moran's reputation as a painter of resonant, luminous effects can be linked, in part, to the atmospheric conditions he included in his paintings of this region. Amagansett, an area of low terrain bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and by Gardiner's Bay and Accabonac Harbor on the other, provided an opportunity for the artist to add dramatic, water-enhanced reflections to compositions with large unbroken skies.
"Sunset, Amagansett with its pink, white and golden clouds ranging from celebratory to somber, is one of several Moran paintings of Long Island from this time that reinforce his strong interest in natural phenomena. In his concerns with observing the time of day, or the seasons, he often implies symbolic readings for these themes. Moran had begun to address the challenge of translating atmospheric characteristics to art in his early career. As a young artist studying the great landscape masters in London, he gave special attention to the skies of Constable and Turner. Sketches from this period were kept in his Long Island studio."