Willis A. Adams (1854-1932), Scene Near Snyderville, 1925, Oil on board, Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of Mr. Robert G. Bee.
The term 'pastoral' traditionally refers to comfortable connection with the countryside. Pastoral paintings often portray country scenes in balanced compositions framed with shade trees, in a limited range of harmonious colors, as in Scene Near Snyderville, by Willis Adams. Enhancing the resulting nostalgic feel of Adams' work, a small child appears as a reference to innocence and how simple everything could be. City dwellers are attracted to country settings that look like the peaceful landscape paintings promising simplicity. As a result, the former rural Snyderville is now occupied by condominiums near Park City.