Cloudburst at Black Mesa, New Mexico

Allen Tucker was one of the “big city” artists who came to New Mexico in the 1920s, forsaking the hustle and clamor of the city for the vast spaces of the high desert. Artists from New York and Chicago often focused on the unusual colors and shapes they found in the southwestern landscape or on the startling and theatrical effects of the weather. Here, Tucker captured the sudden violence and stark contrasts of light and dark that a New Mexico storm can bring.