HARVESTED FIELD AT DUSK - 8 EANGER IRVING COUSE c.1891-1904 Oil on canvas 22.9 × 18.1 cm (9 × 7 1/8') Country: North America, USA Brigham Young
Couse arrived in New Mexico in May 1902 to begin a lifetime of summer residency. His abiding love for the southwestern landscape inspired a body of work recognized today as a significant contribution to the development of American Art. By 1915, Couse was one of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists, and soon there after became its first president. This small painting of a fallow field captures a moment of rest. A productive season working the land ends beneath the partial moon slowly rising over the low hills in the distance. Set against the lingering purple sunset, the moon quietly signals the steady passage of time. Couse’s soothing palette, painterly brushstrokes, and broad description of a specific location invite tranquility and reflection.