Thomas Moran (1837-1926)

1879, oil on canvas

25 ¹/₈ x 62 ³/₈ inches (63.8 x 158.4 cm)

31.18.15

 

 

The cliffs of Green River, Wyoming Territory, inspired Moran. The artist’s first sketch in the American West was a drawing of these cliffs, made in 1871. The Mirage, painted eight years later, presents one of Moran’s boldest and most romantic views. He portrays Indians riding into the distance in a watery mist with the weathered geologic forms as a backdrop. Moran omitted the evidence of the railroad that brought him to Green River. For his nineteenth century viewers, he presented an idealized West, a concept that continues to affect perceptions today.