James Taylor Harwood (American, 1860–1940) Tree, South Valley, 1905 Watercolor on paper 15½ × 23 in. Signed lower right: J. T. Harwood ’05
This airy watercolor centers on a solitary tree anchored to a rocky rise, its wind-shaped branches spreading against a luminous sky. Harwood uses transparent washes and broken touches of color to balance structure and atmosphere, allowing blues and greens to mingle with warm earth tones in the stones below. The open valley recedes to the left, creating a gentle diagonal that guides the eye outward and reinforces a sense of space and light. The composition favors clarity and quiet observation, presenting the landscape as both specific and serenely timeless.
James Taylor Harwood was an American painter and a foundational figure in Utah’s artistic history. Born in Utah, he trained in Paris at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts, bringing academic rigor and refined technique back to the American West. Harwood worked in oil and watercolor, producing landscapes, portraits, and genre scenes marked by careful draftsmanship and sensitivity to light. His work reflects a balance between European training and direct engagement with Western environments.
