'The Calf' by Edwin Evans

Edwin Evans (1860-1946), 'The Calf,' 1899, oil on canvas, 28 x 34 1/8 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of Maria Winder, 1928.

In this charming depiction of pastoral life, two young boys crouch down to feed a white calf. The serenity of this Utah farmyard scene is warmed by the effects of bright summer sunlight and dappled shade, painted in subtly broken brushstrokes. In idealized renderings of cows and farmyards like this one, Edwin Evans omits rusty farm implements, dilapidated buildings, and unkempt grounds that form part of actual rural landscapes. Evans employed techniques from his studies in France as a Paris Art Missionary to create this light-filled, impressionist canvas.