Zoroaster Temple at Sunset (Templo de Zoroastro al atardecer)

Thomas Moran, American, 1837 - 1926

1916

painting

oil on canvas

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Kieckhefer

1969.1

© Phoenix Art Museum. All rights reserved. Photo by Ken Howie.

American and Western American

Yes

North Wing, Second Floor, Western American Art Gallery

Thomas Moran first visited the Grand Canyon in 1873 at the invitation of Major John Wesley Powell, whose expeditions of 1869 and 1872-1873 were the first to traverse the length of the canyon on the Colorado River. Moran’s role was to document this spectacular natural wonder for those in the East. His paintings—which he produced throughout his career—remain the iconic images of the state’s signature landscape feature, and Moran Point on the South Rim (named for his brother Peter, also an accomplished artist), honors the important role artists played in making the canyon grand. Painted 43 years after his first visit to the canyon, this painting retains the freshness of Moran’s first-hand experience of discovery.