Images(2)

The Canyon

Artist Emil James Bisttram (American, 1895 - 1976)

Date1950

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensions40 × 25 inches (101.6 × 63.5 cm)
Frame: 45 7/8 × 30 7/8 × 1 3/4 inches (116.5 × 78.4 × 4.4 cm)

Credit LinePurchase of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 1987

Object number31.223.1

ClassificationsPaintings

Label TextBisttram brought a modernist viewpoint to the artistic scene in Taos. He absorbed influences from European modernists and Native American art. He joined with other progressive artists to found the Transcendental Painting Group. In The Canyon, he begins with a landscape inspiration, the canyon of the Rio Grande near Taos. He boldly abstracts the forms of the canyon and the river itself to give an emotional intensity to the depiction. His modern style both celebrates and abstracts the iconic Western landscape with its red rock formations.

ProvenanceArtist; by inheritance to his wife Mayrion Bisttram; bequeathed to St. John's College, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Virginia Von Schlegell, Santa Fe, New Mexico; purchased January 29, 1987 by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art

On View

On view