English: John La Farge, American, 1835–1910

Study of Afterglow from Nature (Tahiti: Entrance to Tautira Valley), 1891 Watercolor and gouache with graphite and black colored pencil on cream wove paper 21.2 x 33.2 cm. (8 3/8 x 13 1/16 in.) Museum purchase, gift of Leonard L. Milberg, Class of 1953 x1988-108

La Farge was already an established and influential artist and decorative designer in 1890 when he embarked on a fifteen-month trip with the historian John Adams to explore the exotic culture and landscape of the South Seas. Painted on the spot at twilight, this topographically accurate view of the imposing entrance to Tahiti’s Tautira Valley captures the richly layered effects of La Farge’s watercolor technique. His somber palette of commingled blues and greens underscores the mysterious aspects of the volcanic island, with its deep shadows, cloud-tipped peaks, and still waters.