Cliffs of Green River
Object Details
-
Date
1874
-
Object Type
Paintings
-
Medium
Oil on canvas
-
Dimensions
25 1/8 x 45 3/8 in.
-
Inscriptions
Recto:
signed and dated l.r.: TM [monogram] oran. 1874
Verso:
titled and signed u.c., in graphite on brown paper attached to stretcher: Valley of the Rio Virgin - TM [monogram]
u.r., in ink on brown paper attached to stretcher: FG # 1
-
Credit Line
Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas
-
Accession Number
1975.28
-
Copyright
Public domain
Object Description
Additional details
Tags
-
How do sensory details in an artwork influence the viewer's experience?
What artistic choices does an artist make in painting the land?
Why might an artist romanticize a subject?
How might a work of art contribute to the preservation or destruction of land or the environment?
-
Grades Pre-K–3
Have students imagine taking a trip in 1874. On a horse cutout, students may either sketch what they would see while traveling, what activities they may participate in while traveling or, at their final destination, who they might see, or a reason why they are traveling.
Grades 4–8
Ask students to write a description of this painting for someone who has never seen it. They should pay special attention to the colors and details that the artist captured. Encourage students to imagine that they have just arrived in this place for the first time. What would they explore while there?
Allow students to sketch their school or the area around it before it was completed. What would the setting look like without the playground, before the track field was added, or the gym was built?
Grades 4–12
Have students write a letter home from the perspective of one of the figures in Cliffs of Green River. Be sure that they describe the setting as if seeing it for the first time. Students should also include information about how they imagine the land being used, or not used, in the future.
All Levels
Show students a picture of railroad construction near Green River (see Andrew J. Russell's, Citadel Rock, Green River Valley). Does this view of Green River look that same as Moran’s? What is different? When Thomas Moran painted this scene, this area had already been transformed into a major rail crossroads. Why might Moran have chosen to show it to us like this? Have students sketch how Moran’s Cliffs might have actually looked at the time he painted this scene.
Share Educator Resources
Amon Carter Disclaimer
This information is published from the Carter's collection database. Updates and additions based on research and imaging activities are ongoing. The images, titles, and inscriptions are products of their time and are presented here as documentation, not as a reflection of the Carter’s values. If you have corrections or additional information about this object please email us to help us improve our records.
Every effort has been made to accurately determine the rights status of works and their images. Please email us if you have further information on the rights status of a work contrary or in addition to the information in our records.