Read about five artists – Carleton Watkins, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, William Henry Jackson, and Grafton Tyler Brown – who promoted, documented, and commemorated the U.S. National Parks in the late-19th century. Their paintings and photographs helped to raise popular support for conserving the beautiful natural landmarks they depict.
“Landscape Painters, National Parks, and the American West in Art“. Published on DailyArt Magazine, November 12, 2020.
(Image: Thomas Moran, The Chasm of the Colorado, 1873-1874, Smithsonian American Art Museum, lent by the Department of the Interior Museum. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, USA.)
Update 3/4/22: Another American artist who helped to create the National Parks (but in a totally different way) was landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted. If you’re interested in this topic, you might want to read Dennis Drabelle’s The Power of Scenery: Frederick Law Olmsted and the Origin of National Parks. I recently read this book and enjoyed it very much. Click on the link to purchase through Amazon. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. However, I only recommend books that I have personally read and enjoyed.)
A Scholarly Skater 