Southwest Landscape - "Grand Canyon" [SOLD]

Orrin Sheldon Parsons (1866-1943) was an American painter whose works are displayed in museums and major collections around the United States.  Parsons was educated at the National Academy before becoming a successful and well regarded painter of celebrity portraits in New York City.  After the death of his wife in 1913, he moved to Santa Fe and directed his focus towards the creation of the beautiful impressionist landscapes for which he would ultimately become well known.  In 1918, he became the first director of the Museum of New Mexico.  Parsons lived and worked in Santa Fe until his passing 1943.

Today, Sheldon Parsons is regarded as an influential and successful artist.  His paintings have aged well and are highly collectible. His works are receiving extra attention right now, as he is the current featured historic artist at the New Mexico State Capitol building’s Governor’s Gallery.  “A Place Like No Other: Two Views of the New Mexico Landscape” highlights Parsons' works alongside those of photographer Eliot Porter.

This oil painting, titled “Grand Canyon”, is an exemplary work from this very talented artist.  Light blues and soft purples are the dominant colors in this charming landscape scene.  Greens, pinks, and whites are added sparingly, adding depth to the hills as they overlap one another.  Their highest peaks, covered in snow, extend into a clear, blue sky.  At the floor of the canyon, a serene body of water—marked with subtle pinks, whites and greens to accurately depict its reflective qualities—winds out from behind the nearest hill towards the viewer.  At the forefront, Parsons added a line of orange flowers of varying heights and sizes.

When viewing this piece, one gets the feeling that they are actually within Parsons' “Grand Canyon.”  The artist’s keen sense of perspective gives the painting an immersive quality that is not often present in impressionist landscapes.  Snowy peaks, a serene body of water, colorful flowers, thick forests and rolling hills—only in the Southwest is one able to see such a wide variety of sights from one position.  This excellent painting manages to capture on canvas the sense of awe that one feels when surrounded by the natural wonders of the Southwest.

Parsons signed the painting in its lower right corner and marked its title in its lower left corner.

Condition: Excellent original condition
Provenance: From the collection of a Santa Fe resident