Continental Divide

Edgar Payne made his name painting the vast landscapes of the American West, and this scene of the Continental Divide is a fine example of what drew him to that country. A large red mesa spreads across the middle of the canvas, its warm tones glowing against the cooler greens and browns of the plain below. Fat, drifting clouds fill nearly half the picture, floating through a soft blue sky. Payne taught himself to paint for the most part, and he had a natural feel for the scale and quiet strength of places like this.

Honesty is what gives the work its charm. Rather than exaggerating the scene or piling on drama, Payne painted the desert plainly as he found it. His brushwork is loose and sure, hinting at the rough ground and scrubby plants without getting caught up in tiny details. The rusty reds of the cliffs and the scattered green of the valley ring true to the high desert of the early twentieth century, a time when much of this land remained wild and open.

Artists like Payne are usually counted among the California Impressionists, painters who worked outdoors and followed the shifting light of the day. That approach comes through here in the moving clouds and the sunlight resting across the stone. Calm and firmly rooted, the painting simply lets the wide land speak for itself.