Mount McKinley 1925

Sydney Laurence made this painting of Mount McKinley, likely in oil paint, during his lifetime. The blues and purples feel cool, calming. It’s like he’s not just painting a mountain, but capturing the whole mood of the place. You know? Looking at the way he layered the paint, especially in the mountains, it’s thin, almost transparent. It creates a hazy, dreamlike effect. In the foreground, the brushstrokes feel a bit more choppy, like he's trying to capture the movement of the water. There's this one spot in the lower part of the painting, where the water hits some rocks. The way he layered the whites and yellows there feels energetic. It reminds me of Albert Bierstadt. Both artists paint these grand landscapes, but while Bierstadt goes for the dramatic, Laurence is more about the subtle, quiet beauty. For Laurence, painting feels like a way of meditating on the landscape. Art doesn’t always have to shout; sometimes, the quietest voices speak the loudest.