The Juniata, Evening

The painting shows a valley passing through hills. The left side of the picture is a rock within trees, while the right side has a dense forest curving in towards the river below.

In the foreground, there is a man with a painting stand, arguably drawing. The background has 3 hills to complete the beautiful landscaping. The rays from the sun beam from the west, falling on the trees to give the yellow colour, which is a signature theme in Thomas Moran’s artistic pieces.

It was done in 1864 on a landscape canvas with oil. Thomas was famously known for his romantic paintings, where bright colours, nature, and authenticity were the source of inspiration. The Juanita, Evening represent the mid-19th century valley in Juanita County in Pennsylvania. Other paintings that follow the same theme include Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came (1859), Salvator Rosa Sketching the Banditi (1860), Under the Trees (1865), Cresheim Glen Wissahickon, Autumn (1864) and the Autumn Landscape (1867). The Juanita, Evening is currently at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, United States.

Thomas Moran, the Painter and Illustrator

Thomas was born in Bolton in England but grew up in the United States. His older brother, Edward Moran, was a celebrated painter. Thomas worked at Scattergood and Telfer’s workshop as a wood engraver. He grew to become the workshop’s illustrator before moving out and partnered with James Hamilton. He also grew fond of William Turner, an artist who inspired him to assimilate romanticism in his work.

His love for yellow images was evident in a number of his works. He drew breath-taking landscapes with the sun’s rays falling on green leaves. His illustrations were instrumental in the creation of the Yellowstone National Park. The clarity and perfection made him the Chief Illustrator of the Scribner’s Monthly Newspaper, a job that sustained most of his adult life.

Thomas inspired the formation of the Hudson River School, an art movement associated with landscape painting with romantic connotations. It got its name for imitating the Hudson River Valley. His associates included Thomas Hill, Albert Bierstadt, and William Keith. The Three Tetons from his collection is among the official White House Art collection. See more in our biography.

Exhibitions

Thomas’s paintings are scattered in art centres and Museums in the United States. From the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum to Gilcrease Museum, Berkshire Museum, and Thomas Moran House, his artworks show a painter dedicated to show the softer side of the world.