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Edward Moran

Edward Moran was an English-born marine painter known for his Turneresque seascapes and paintings of American history.

Moran was born at Bolton-le Moor, Lancashire, one of four brothers who became artists. When he was 15, Moran immigrated to the United States with his family, to settle in Maryland. Originally trained as a weaver, Moran turned from that trade to study painting with Paul Weber and marine painter James Hamilton in Philadelphia. By 1857 he was an established artist, along with his younger brother, Thomas.

Moran was encouraged to paint marine subjects by Hamilton. These included fishermen at work, seascapes, vessels, and a series of scenes from American maritime history. The marine paintings are dramatically conceived, with brilliant sunsets and vibrant bluegreen seas, recalling the glowing color of Joseph M.W. Turner. In one of his paintings, Moran placed the Statue of Liberty as a symbol on the horizon, silhouetted against a glowing sunset, with a wide expanse of New York Harbor spread out beneath the sky.

In 1861, Moran visited England for six months with his brother, Thomas. They came under the influence of Turner's work, which was on display in London. Moran moved to New York City in 1871 where he opened a studio and spent the rest of his life.

A visit to France in 1878 interested him in painting the figure, and after that date figures appear more prominently in his work than previously. The last 10 years of Moran's life were spent painting a series of 13 historical marine paintings.

Memberships:
National Academy of Design
Pennsylvania American Federation of Arts

Public Collections:
Butler Institute of American Art,
Youngstown, Ohio
Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Virginia
Milwaukee Art Museum
Museum of the City of New York
National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
United States Naval Academy Museum,
Annapolis, Maryland

Biography courtesy of Roughton Galleries, www.antiquesandfineart.com/roughton

Edward Moran studied art under Paul Weber and James Hamilton in Philadelphia and traveled to Europe to study in 1862. He was one of four of his brothers to become artists. Moran was best known for his marine and shore scenes which usually included fishermen working on their boats. He traveled to London where he was greatly influenced by J.M.W. Turner. Mora's work reflected the same sense of drama as Turner, with brilliant skies and bright green-blue turbulent seas. By 1857 he had established himself as an artist in Philadelphia. He chose to move to New York City in 1872 where he remained for the rest of his career. The last decade of his life was dedicated to producing 13 important epochs of U.S. Marine history. These paintings were widely exhibited but did not garner the expected monetary value of the time.

Biography courtesy of The Caldwell Gallery, www.antiquesandfineart.com/caldwell

Edward Moran was one of the nineteenth century's most revered marine painters and the eldest member of the Moran family of artists. Born in Bolton-le-Moor, Lancashire, England, Edward Moran moved to America with his family in 1844 and settled in Maryland. He moved to Philadelphia thirteen years later to study under the marine painter James Hamilton and the German landscapist Paul Weber but was most influenced by J.M.W. Turner, whose dramatic seascapes he discovered in London. In turn, Moran exerted a strong influence upon his younger brothers: Thomas (the famous painter of Western scenes), John (a photographer), and Peter (an animal and landscape painter), and sons: Percy (a genre painter) and Leon (a figure painter), all of whom followed him into the artistic field.

Known for his dramatic depictions of the sea, Moran painted stormy skies, turbulent waves, and lost shipwrecks. Moran established his career in Philadelphia and moved to New York City in 1872, exhibited at all the major venues, including the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the National Academy of Design, the Brooklyn Art Association, and the Boston Art Club. His paintings are now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, among other major collections.

Biography courtesy of Questroyal Fine Art, LLC, www.antiquesandfineart.com/questroyal

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