Gold Mining, Cripple Creek

Ernest Lawson chose to crop the view of Cripple Creek Mining Camp in Colorado so that the craggy mountain overpowers the space. When Lawson came west from New York City, he had trouble with the vastly different landscape, and complained that "he couldn't feel the place, . . . it was too bleak [and] forbidding." He fought against the dizziness and shortness of breath brought on by Colorado's high altitudes, and crafted numerous scenes of the dramatic landscape. This painting won Lawson a prize at the National Academy of Design, the last major award of his career. (Leeds, Ernest Lawson, 2000)