The Ruby Range, Nevada

Thomas Moran is especially well known for his sweeping views of remote areas in the American West. A gifted watercolorist who was deeply influenced by J. M. W. Turner, Moran found a realistic equivalent for the Englishman’s art in the strange hues of the mountains of Wyoming and Nevada, the bubbling springs and vaporous geysers of Yellowstone, and the fantastic rock formations of Arizona. Although he enjoyed dramatic effects, Moran did not exaggerate the spectacular landscapes of the American West; watercolors such as Ruby Range are accurate even in their surprising palettes, achieving an almost visionary intensity.