Mist in Kanab Canyon, Utah
1892
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mrs. Bessie B. Croffut
Accession Number
1942.11.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
Thomas Moran's *Mist in Kanab Canyon, Utah* (1892) captures the sublime drama of the American West, a hallmark of the artist's career. A leading figure in the Hudson River School, Moran was renowned for his luminous landscapes inspired by expeditions like the 1871 Hayden Geological Survey to Yellowstone. By the 1890s, he continued exploring remote terrains, including Utah's rugged Kanab Canyon—a deep gorge carved by the Kanab Creek amid towering mountains and winding rivers. This oil painting evokes the misty veils that often shroud such canyons at dawn or dusk, blending realism with romantic ...
About the Artist
Thomas Moran · 1837–1926
Thomas Moran (1837–1926) was an American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School whose dramatic paintings of the American West played a pivotal role in the creation of the national parks. Born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, he emigrated with his family to Philadelphia as a child. He was largely self-taught, though he apprenticed briefly with a wood engraver and studied the work of J.M.W...