Edward Moran

(1829-1901)

English-born and one of four artist brothers (including the extremely gifted Thomas Moran, eight years his junior), Edward Moran was a dedicated marine painter who studied with early Philadelphia artists James Hamilton and Paul Weber. Both of these examples are New York harbor scenes most likely executed after Moran moved to New York in 1870. The first Edward Moran I acquired in 1970, from Marbella Gallery, and reflects his wonderful sense of light and shadow, crystal clear blue skies, and his early experimentation with the principles of luminism. A second example was acquired around 1973 in a Boston antiques shop and uses a similar technique of rendering the foreground vessel in shadow and the distant sailboat in bright light, creating a very dramatic effect. The subtle red cross on the sail identifies the packet boat loaded with cargo secured by tarpaulins crossing New York harbor with the silhouette of Castle Garden in the distance. Many of Moran’s best works were his historically important images of New York harbor.