Maxfield Parrish (American, 1870-1966). Stone Hill, Arizona Desert, 1933. Oil on panel. 9-1/8 x 11-1/8 inches (23.2 x 28...

Description

Maxfield Parrish (American, 1870-1966)
Stone Hill, Arizona Desert, 1933
Oil on panel
9-1/8 x 11-1/8 inches (23.2 x 28.3 cm)
Signed and dated lower left: Maxfield Parrish 33

PROVENANCE:
Vose Galleries, Boston, Massachusetts;
Private collection.

Maxfield Parrish's 1933 painting Stone Hill, Arizona Desert is a compelling testament to his significance as a landscape painter, renowned for his unique and vivid color palette. Parrish, primarily known for his idyllic and fantastical works, often blending the mythical with the natural, also captured the reality of American landscapes with a dream-like quality that became his signature.

In Stone Hill, Arizona Desert, we see the hallmark Parrish blue sky, a saturated azure that has come to be known as "Parrish Blue," a color so distinctive that it is inextricably linked to the artist's name. This striking hue creates a contrast with the earthy tones of the desert hill, emphasizing the arid beauty of the Arizona landscape. The interplay of light and shadow is rendered with meticulous precision, giving the impression of the late afternoon sun casting long shadows and warming the rocky surfaces with its golden hues.

Parrish's landscapes are important not only for their aesthetic beauty but also for their influence on the development of American visual culture in the early 20th century. His works were widely disseminated through magazines and prints, shaping the American public's perception of art and beauty in nature. Stone Hill, Arizona Desert is a prime example of how Parrish could take a common landscape and elevate it with an almost hyperreal quality, blurring the line between the real and the fantastical.

The texture of the canvas, often visible in Parrish's originals, adds a tactile element to the image, allowing viewers to sense the ruggedness of the terrain. Despite the stillness of the scene, there is a dynamic quality to the composition, as the cloud seems to billow above the hill, suggesting movement and the transient light of dusk.

Stone Hill, Arizona Desert showcases Maxfield Parrish's skillful use of color and light to create landscapes that are both enchanting and grounded in the natural world. His work not only reflects the splendor of the American West but also encapsulates an era of art that sought to invoke wonder and admiration for the country's varied geography through a lens of vibrant and otherworldly beauty.


More information about Maxfield Parrish. See also: Parrish, Maxfield, Parrish, F. Maxfield, Parrish, Maxfield Frederick Artist.

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