LeConte Stewart (American, 1891–1990)
Tree Study, c. 1930s
Graphite on paper, 9 × 12 in.
This sensitive drawing captures a single tree with remarkable attention to form, weight, and texture. Using quick but deliberate strokes of graphite, Stewart conveyed both the solidity of the trunk and the airy, shifting canopy. A modest building is suggested in the background, situating the tree within the rural landscapes that were central to his artistic vision.
Tree studies such as this one were not idle exercises but part of Stewart’s larger working process. Throughout his career, he produced countless pencil drawings while traveling through Utah and the Intermountain West, carefully observing the natural and built environment. These sketches often served as the foundation for his later oil paintings and watercolors, where his mastery of light and space found fuller expression.
By the 1930s, Stewart was recognized as a leading realist in Utah, balancing his teaching at the University of Utah and later Brigham Young University with a tireless dedication to painting en plein air. This drawing reflects both his academic rigor and his reverence for the everyday landscapes of the American West, elevating even the simplest subjects—like a solitary tree—into enduring works of art.
