In the years 1875-1876, Thomas Moran created his piece, “Fiercely the red sun descending/Burned his way along the heavens”. This spectacular, captivating image uses a darker color palette accented with intense red hues. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha, is the source of the title, a title that does not directly comment on the poem but instead reflects a literal interpretation of what Moran visualized when he read line containing that imagery. The image is a dark and rough sea with mountains to the side which are made with use of darker muted colors contrasted by a sun that is a mix of reds, yellows, and oranges, and indeed does illustrate the image of a sun fiercely descending and burning its way along the skies. Moran’s piece is a blend of both the luminist and impressionist movements, in this piece he utilizes various colors and light effects to evoke feelings of power and strength. He fuses the two movements through his choice of landscape which holds a luministic influence and the lack of clarity and perfection in the piece draws from impressionism, pulling from the strengths of each style leads to a hybrid that helped to cross two worlds creating a piece familiar yet invigorating at the same time.
Moran’s choice in palette and lighting helped in creating an image that radiates power and strength. The color choice is all dark and it gives an ominous feel to the piece. Moran illustrates a rough sea that generally indicates danger. The mountains in the background are partially covered by the mish mosh that is the sky. The clouds above create a haze that distorts the mountains as well as the sky itself. Then these dark colors are contrasted by bright hues of oranges and reds that light up the entire left side of the painting (Kennedy).The blended style is very prevalent here as they are styles characterized by the effect of light in nature and Moran draws from both to create this scene. The light here originates from the sun and slowly fades as you reach the right half of the painting. The light adds red accents to the ocean the brighten up the otherwise gloomy area. Another interesting observation is that the side of the painting in which the light hits appears to have a calmer sea. Also the outskirts of the light are the only area that any life is observed. A flock of birds are flying from the dark side to the light. This image while may go unnoticed to some is quite possibly the most powerful commentary on life in the whole piece. That even in the hopelessness and despair, there is always a way brighter future on the horizon. That it is possible to escape the darkness of the past and fly into new horizons. This image pours out strength and power, as if the sun has conquered the danger in the horizon that calms the restless waves. The sky has been scarred and burned in the process leaving the clouds a bright scarlet red that pulls directly from the title and shows how the sun has literally burned its way across the heavens conquering everything in its path.
The luminist and impressionist movements were two very similar yet distinct movements. Both are based on the use of light to flesh out different colors and create strong contrasts thus creating a more noticeable and powerful image. Both styles are also primarily landscapes, the various artists experimented with how to better convey the way in which light affects their world around them. It is all derived from perception. However, besides these two similarities there is not much else in common. Luminism was a style used primarily in the United States and focused on wide, grandiose landscapes that had paid close attention to detail with no noticeable brush strokes ("Luminism | Painting."). Impressionism contained smaller more conservative landscapes that did not emphasize detail and were set apart by there calculated but noticeable brush strokes that embraced human imperfection ("Impressionism | Art."). In "Fiercely the red sun descending/Burned his way along the heavens", Thomas Moran experimented with a blend of these two styles that provided the right amount of innovation to captivate audiences. It holds the characteristics of luminism in that it is a wide spread landscape in which the sky is the main focus (Lubow). The impressionist influence is seen by the lack of perfection, embracing both the free spirit of the human race as well as the chaos within nature. At first glance you can tell exactly what this piece is meant to depict. However, as you examine the piece further the attention to detail is not there. This uses familiar colors and layout in a way that allows your brain to interpret the images without actually seeing them. The water is a mix of dark blues with white accents to give the affect of rough waves, the mountains are more just brown figures in the background and a red explosion next to it. But the cues we receive from the blues allow us to interpret it as water, the shapes in the back resemble that of mountains and the burning what almost seems to be as an explosion is then seen as the sun. Put that all together and you see a widespread piece.
Another primary aspect of this piece that emphasizes its hybrid nature are the brush strokes. Similar to the rest of the painting they lie in this state of ambiguity. It is difficult to interpret whether they are actually there or not. They are strategically placed in various areas of the painting, for example the sky appears to use numerous short brush strokes to create a multitude of layers, starting with the wispy scarlet clouds, then to the deeper orange colored ones that eventually boils down to the center light that all light in the painting originates from. These brush strokes can be interpreted to be a deliberate part of the painting and not to be seen as brush strokes at all, placing it in the luministic category. However, if an individual believes them to merely be brush strokes than the painting falls within the impressionist category (Prodger). Moran was able to set himself apart from other artists by utilizing two similar art styles that offered a fresh spin on what the masses at the time were accustomed to seeing.
Moran’s style of painting has been compared to that of another painter of his time, J.M.W. Turner. He was a British artist who captured the sublime in nature, in an article within the Washington Post, author Blake Gopnik has said “it’s hard to decide which is more jaw-dropping: the slapdash glory of his technique or the terrible splendor of the scene he’s represented” (Gopnik). The foundation Turners paintings are built off of are a balance in between both his style and the subject he is painting. Many American painters knew of Turner however, any attempts were futile in the recreation of this style, until Moran that was. "Fiercely the red sun descending/Burned his way along the heavens was described as having “all the explosive energy of paint and subject matter of a decent Turner” (Gopnik). Moran was an avid fan of Turner’s work and this piece was created after he had visited England and made detailed studies of Turners works. His ability to recreate a sought after style of an impressionist painter while integrating techniques used almost exclusively in the United States, Moran’s blending of the two worlds created a breathtaking piece never before seen anywhere else in the world.
In conclusion this piece is a masterful blend of similar styles that originated on two different continents. Basing his style off of an artist who had at that point in time never been successfully imitated in any way shape or form was a feat in its own. Moran did not stop there though, he introduced the style that was native to his region and intertwined it into the piece creating a hybrid that offered a fresh new perspective without alienating the current audience. The impressionist and luministic influences are clear and used masterfully, every detail from the color palette used down to the title of the piece. Pulling from a poem that had inspired himself, Moran was able to draw connections to his own life, creating a more intimate connection with his audience. Moran’s layout of the landscape emphasizes the strength of the piece, having it transition from overwhelming intense hues of orange and red to darker blacks and greys gives off a feeling of power. Power that creates an overall commentary on life and the struggles that everyday man goes through. The blending of the two styles helps to bridge the gap between people and show that this is not merely an American issue by a human kind issue. Showing all people that there is hope in the darkness. All in all, Moran succeeded in combining two worlds giving the audience of the time a fresh and invigorating piece similar to what they have seen in the past.
Works Cited
Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Impressionism | Art." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Luminism | Painting." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Gopnik, Blake. "Grinding Out The Grandeur." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 25 July 2002. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
Kennedy, Martha, "Review of Thomas Moran and the Surveying of the American West by Joni Louise Kinsey" (1993). Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences. Paper 100
Lubow, Arthur. "The Luminist." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 Feb. 2007. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
Prodger, Michael. "The Man Who Made Monet: How Impressionism Was Saved from Obscurity." The Guardian. N.p., 21 Feb. 2015. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
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