Breathtaking vistas: Artists create 'The Continuing Allure' of southern Utah red rock country

In all the Earth, there is nothing quite like Utah's red rock country. The combination of color, landforms and climate create a mesmerizing landscape that has both intimidated and inspired filmmakers, poets and artists for more than a century-and-a-half.

Evidence of that is shown in an exhibition at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts — "The Continuing Allure: Painters of Utah's Red Rock," which runs through June 27.

The works, from private regional collections and the UMFA's permanent collection, span roughly a century and were created by both regional and national artists, such as William R. Leigh, Sven Birger Sandzen, Gary E. Smith, Edgar Payne, Maynard Dixon, Harold "Buck" Weaver and Conrad Buff.

In connection with the exhibition, a special lecture will be held Wednesday in which James D'Arc, film historian and conservator at BYU, will explore the topic: "When the Movies Raised Kane in Kane County: Hollywood Moviemaking in Utah."

The paintings offer breathtaking views of some of the West's most iconic sites, says Donna Poulton, curator of the show. While most of the works are representational in style, "each artist strove to create, in his own way, an authentic American experience, capturing and interpreting the challenging terrain."

What you will notice right off, however, she says, is that every painting is different. "There is not one style that grew out of the sense of place in southern Utah. That's very different from what happened in such places as Taos, with the California impressionists who lived there, or in the Hudson River Valley, or even with the French Impressionists."

It's not really hard to figure out why. "It was not a hospitable place to live, especially in the 1920s, when many of these artists were first working there. The roads were bad, there was no air-conditioning. They would have to come and camp out for a time and go home," Poulton says.

When William R. Leigh came to paint Rainbow Bridge in 1922, "he had to ride by horseback for five days over steep, slick rock to get there," she says.

Some of the paintings are "one-time-wonders," Poulton adds, representing the only time an artist came to Utah. That's what happened with Maurice Freedman. On a trip through southern Utah in 1967, the New York artist stopped at Bryce Canyon and painted what he described as "Indian Castles — sentinels overseeing, guarding and protecting their land and people." He never came back.