Lot 21: ROBERT WALTER WEIR (1803-1889)

NIAGARA FALLS signed " R W Weir " and dated 5*, l.r. - - oil on canvas 50 1/2 x 38 in. (128.3 x 96.5 cm.) EXHIBITED Buffalo, Albright Knox Gallery, " Three Centuries of Niagara Falls, " May-Sept. 1964, p. 35, no. 56 Yonkers, Hudson River Museum, " 19th Century American Paintings from Private Collections, " Sept.-Nov. 1974, no. 37 West Point, Cadet Fine Arts Forum, " Robert Walter Weir, " 1976. p. 74, no. 67, illus. Since its discovery in 1678 by Robert La Salle, Niagara has remained a source of immense popular appeal and individual artistic inspiration. To the nineteenth century artist, it represented the ultimate romantic symbol of the "New World" and provided an ideal arena in which to describe the glory of the American landscape. Between 1830 and 1860, a number of important paintings of Niagara Falls were executed, suggesting the title "The Golden Age of Niagara" for this period. Robert Weir's interpretation of the site dates to the same period as Frederick Church's masterwork, now in the Collection of the National Museum of American Art. Like Church, Weir has employed certain traditional motifs, such as the rainbow which came to symbolize hope. Weir also presents a thoughtful interpretation of this subject which sets the work apart from the hundreds of other nineteenth century views of the Falls. Weir sought to present his subject in a manner which excites and provokes the viewer. By almost eliminating the conventional use of foreground, the viewer is literally suspended as he confronts the force of the Falls. The psychological impact of this compositional twist was not lost on Weir, who was cleverly suggesting that the power of nature is stronger than the power of mortals.