Cape St. Elias 1928

Sydney Laurence’s “Cape St. Elias” uses oil paint to picture the rough, romantic drama of the Alaskan coast. You can almost feel Laurence pushing the paint around, wrestling with it to capture the scene. I’m thinking about the way he used the brush, those thick strokes of white and gray that build up the mountain. What was he thinking, layering those colors? Was he trying to get at something beyond just the look of the place? And then the water, that churning, almost emerald green – it’s like he’s channeling Turner. This piece feels like an adventure, like he’s trying to capture the untamed spirit of the wilderness. It reminds me of other artists, like Frederick Church, who also tried to capture the sublime power of nature. They’re all in conversation, these painters, each one pushing the boundaries a little further, figuring out what paint can really do.