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The Art of Sydney
Laurence:
Sydney M. Laurence (1865-1940) is considered the
foremost twentieth-century painter of the
Alaska landscape. Laurence came to Alaska around 1904, after studying art
in New York and
Europe and pursuing a career as a foreign correspondent in Africa. Like
the thousands who came
to Alaska seeking gold, Laurence was an unsuccessful miner. To survive,
Laurence exchanged his
gold pan for his artists' palette, and briefly opened a photography studio
in the fledgling town of
Anchorage. However, he soon abandoned photography for a career in
painting.
Laurence was fascinated by the vast scale and high
drama of the Alaska landscape, and was
particularly drawn to Mount McKinley. Humans rarely intrude onto his
canvases: when they do
appear, they are minor players dwarfed by their surroundings. Laurence was
intent on capturing the
distinctive Alaska light that filtered through the clouds and reflected in
the sky, water, and mountains.
Much of Laurence's work was tailored to the tastes
of average Alaska residents-as well as to
summer excursionists touring Alaska-hungry for beautiful scenes of
Alaska's forests and waters.
Today Laurence remains a beloved figure. His paintings are heirlooms to
many of Alaska's
"pioneers" and grace numerous museum collections.
Mt. McKinley, Alaska
Oil on Canvas
Sydney Laurence (1865-1940), 1937
Gift of Carl and Betty Valentine
2002-14-1
Untitled
Sydney Laurence (1865-1940), ca 1920s
Oil on Canvas
Gift of Celia Handley, on behalf of the William J. Niemi Family
2000-31-1 |
