Painters of Utah’s Canyons and Deserts

The authors have wisely organized the book into three parts, each with subcategories:

—PART 1: Utah’s Red Rock, 1848–1970. The first six chapters begin with the identification of those early survey artists like Richard H. Kern, Frederick Dellenbaugh, Thomas Moran, and others who initially penetrated and explored a heretofore unknown region, bringing back testament to the American public about extraordinary landscapes. Prior to the explorer artists, however, early pioneer artists such as Alfred Lambourne and George Ottinger had already put down roots and were painting in Utah. Successive chapters discuss the role northern and southern Utah artists played in documenting the region. Finally, the last chapter identifies visiting artists like Maynard Dixon, Conrad Buff, Birger Sandzén, James Swinnerton, Edgar Payne, Milford Zornes, and others.

—PART 2: Utah’s Plateau Parks and Monuments, 1900–Present. These four chapters center on those artists who havestaked out Utah’s national parks and monuments; Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef, the Grand Staircase-Escalante, and the little known backcountry. Such noted artists as Gunnar Widforss, Franz Bischoff, Georgia O’Keeffe, and surrealist Max Ernst are profiled along with a number of lesser known artists from 1900 to the present.

—PART 3: Utah’s Continuing Allure, 1960–Present. The last two chapters explore the continuing allure of the region, looking at both those contemporary artists who continue tending the flame in the tradition of realism and those who take a more edgy, conceptual approach. Among those artists are Utah resident Gary Ernest Smith and Phoenix-based Ed Mell. Extensive endnotes at the conclusion of the text offer additional information about the painters and their backgrounds.