Final Days for Moran Exhibitions

Thomas Moran (English/American, 1837-1926), Bluffs - Platte Riv. Wyoming Ter., Not dated, Pencil, 6-7/8 x 9-3/4 inches, Gift of Fritiof Fryxell, University of Wyoming Art Museum Collection, 2009.3.6

Only three days remain to see two Thomas Moran exhibitions at the UW Art Museum. Thomas Moran in Wyoming and Thomas Moran: Pastoral Views and Seashores will close this Sunday, August 16. That leaves only today, Friday and Saturday to view these great exhibitions. The Museum is open 10 am - 5 pm all three days. Admission is free.

Thomas Moran in Wyoming presents sketches, prints and chromolithographs that Moran created while traveling through the state. Several works depict nearby landmarks, like the Red Buttes south of Laramie and the colorful geologic features of Green River.

Thomas Moran: Pastoral Views and Seashores shows images from England and the east coast of the United States, where he lived and worked extensively. The exhibition contains prints and drawings of sand dunes near East Hampton, lighthouses and stormy seas.

These two exhibitions are a great way to see the work of one of the West's best-known artists and see his skill in a variety of media. For more information, call the Museum at 307.766.6622.

Last Chance to see Thomas Moran at the UW Art Museum

Thomas Moran (English/American, 1837-1926), Castle Geyser, 

1874, chromolithograph, 11-9/16 x 16-3/16 inches, 

gift of Fritiof Fryxell in memory of John D. Fryxell, 

University of Wyoming Art Museum Collection, 2009.3.18

Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum

The University of Wyoming Art Museum is featuring the artist Thomas Moran with two exhibitions of his work this summer, Thomas Moran in Wyoming and Thomas Moran: Pastoral Views and Seashores. Both exhibitions are scheduled to close on August 15.

Thomas Moran spent much time in the Wyoming Territory during the 1870s. He traveled frequently to the Green River Area and completed many sketches and watercolors of the topography of the region. Moran joined the government-sponsored Hayden Expedition to the Yellowstone Region in 1871. He made numerous sketches of Yellowstone’s geological features. These images, and photographs of expedition photographer William Henry Jackson, inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park, the nation’s first park, in 1872. Thomas Moran in Wyoming presents watercolor sketches, drawings, and prints made from his many trips to Wyoming that convey the various forms of producing images for publication at the time. Also included are drawings of the Laramie Plains, the Red Buttes area south of Laramie and the Platte River.

Thomas Moran: Pastoral Views and Seashores explores the etchings Moran made of the seashore and the sea. The effects of water and light were an inspiration for Moran and he traveled to many locations to study the work of such artists as J.M.W. Turner, who was also inspired by sunlight and water and an inspiration to Moran. He was the first artist to build a studio in the East Hamptons, a residence and studio where he and his wife Mary Nimmo Moran summered and worked after 1884.

For additional information on the exhibitions, call the UW Art Museum at (307) 766-6622 or visit www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum.