In his search for the grand and scenic, Keith ventured throughout northern California and beyond. Consequently his repertoire of epic imagery was not limited to the stark, perpendicular, granite walls of Yosemite but also included alpine views such as California Pines. The painting is believed to be a view of east central California showing the upper reaches of the Kern River, which flows south from Mount Whitney towards Bakersfield in land that is now part of Sequoia National Park and the Dome Land wilderness. Alpine paintings by artists trained in Düsseldorf served as models for Keith’s panoramic images with snow-capped mountains towering majestically in the background.
He presented the California view in a traditional composition with the trees and sloping hills as repoussoir elements and a meandering river leading into the scene. His manner of presenting the hills is reminiscent of the treatment of the Rockies in the work of ALBERT BIERSTADT.
While in the possession of the Vose Galleries, this landscape was shown throughout the country and eventually at the Biltmore Salon in Los Angeles, where it was purchased in 1929 for the museum. The painting was the first major acquisition funded by the museum’s patron association.
