From a “Stretch of Grey Sea” to the “Extent of Space”: The Gaze Across Vistas in Cather’s The Professor’s House

H e n r ie t t a Sh o r e . T W O W O R L D S . C a . 1 9 2 1 . O il o n c a n v a s, 3 0 " x 2 6 ". Cou rtesy N o r a Eccles H arrison M u seum o f A r t, U tah Stat e Un iversity. G ift: T h e M arie Eccles C ain e Fou n dation . H e n r ie t t a Sh o r e (1 8 8 0 - 1 9 6 3 ) an d H e le n Lu n d e b e r g (1 9 0 8 - 1 9 9 9 ) sh ar e d m an y o f W illa C a t h e r ’s in t e r e st s. B o t h w ere c la ssic a lly t r a in e d p a in t e r s w h o tu r n ed to m o d e r n ist t e c h n iq u e s t o e x p e r im e n t w it h fo r m a n d t o r e c o n c e iv e sp ac e . Bo t h d isp la y e d th e in flu e n ce o f m o d e r n ism in th e ir d e p ar t u r e fr o m p le in - a ir lan d sc a p e p a in t in g an d in t h e ir in t r o sp e c t iv e e x p lo r a t io n o f t h e n a t u r a l w o r ld . Sh o r e , w h o h e lp e d fo u n d th e Lo s A n g e le s M o d e m A r t So c ie t y in 19 16 , p a in t e d lar ge - sc ale n a t u r a l d e t a ils fr o m t h e C a lifo r n ia lan d sc a p e (w h ic h h a v e led t o co m p a r iso n s w it h G e o r g ia O ’K e e ffe ), as w ell as r e fle ct io n s o n sp ac e lik e T w o W orld s. W it h h e r h u sb a n d , Lo r se r F e it e lso n , Lu n d e b e r g w r o te t h e m an ife st o , N e w C lassic ism , fo r th e fir st P o st - Su r r e a lism e x h ib it io n in 19 3 4 an d c r e a t e d m y stic al, m e d it a t iv e p a in t in gs. Sh e an d o t h e r L .A . m o d e r n ist p a in t e r s lik e A g n e s P e lt o n (fe at u r e d in W A L 3 4 .2 ) w er e in flu e n ce d b y n ew d isc o v e r ie s in a st r o n o m y in t h e 1 92 0 s a n d ’3 0 s, as w as C a t h e r in M c G iv e r o n ’s r e ad in g. Fo r m o r e in fo r m a t io n , se...