Robert Lougheed
1910-1981
Mt. Rundle Beyond
oil on canvas
signed lower left: ROBERT LOUGHEED (artist cipher)
verso: titled and signed
24 x 36 in., Frame: 34 3/4 x 46 3/4 x 2 1/4 in.

Provenance:
Denniston Western Books and Art LTD, Jackson, WY (label verso)
Thomas Nygard Gallery, Bozeman, MT (label verso)
Out of Africa in Montana Gallery, Bozeman, MT (label verso)
Copley Fine Art Auction, The Sporting Sale 2021 - Sessions I and II, Lot 191 (label verso)
From a Private Collection

Literature:
B. Byron Price, Lougheed, Nygard & Elliott Publishing Company: Bozeman, MT, 1991, illustrated p. 79.

Exhibited:
Grand Central Art Galleries, Inc., New York, NY, Call of the Wild: The Primal Adventure, Oct. 18 - Nov. 10, 1984 (label verso)

Robert Lougheed possessed a rare ability to unite the disciplines of wildlife portraiture and landscape painting into compositions that celebrate the grandeur of the North American wilderness. In Mt. Rundle Beyond, the artist presents a commanding bull elk standing alert in a snow-covered valley beneath the imposing silhouette of Mount Rundle, one of the most iconic peaks in Banff National Park. The painting captures a moment of stillness, where the quiet confidence of the animal is matched by the monumental permanence of the mountains beyond. Lougheed's masterful handling of atmosphere, coupled with his intimate understanding of wildlife anatomy, transforms the scene into both a faithful record of nature and a stirring tribute to the Canadian Rockies.

The composition demonstrates Lougheed's exceptional sense of balance. The magnificent elk, illuminated by warm winter light, dominates the foreground, while a small herd emerges almost unnoticed among the willows in the middle distance, reinforcing the vast scale of the surrounding landscape. Beyond, the snow-clad mass of Mount Rundle rises beneath a dramatic overcast sky, its cool blues and grays contrasting beautifully with the golden browns of the animal and dormant grasses. Lougheed's restrained palette and confident brushwork evoke the crisp air of late winter, while subtle passages of reflected light across snow and water reveal an artist committed to direct observation.

Born in Massey, Ontario, in 1910, Robert Lougheed developed an early fascination with animals while growing up on his family's farm. He studied at the Ontario College of Art before continuing his education at the École des Beaux-Arts in Montréal and later at the Art Students League of New York under celebrated instructors Frank Vincent DuMond and Dean Cornwell. Although he enjoyed an accomplished career as a commercial illustrator – producing artwork for publications including National Geographic, Reader's Digest, and Sports Afield – his greatest passion remained painting wildlife and the landscapes of the American and Canadian West.

Lougheed became one of the most respected painters of Western subjects during the twentieth century, earning admiration from fellow artists for both his technical precision and his unwavering commitment to painting from life. A founding influence of the National Academy of Western Art and an early member of the Cowboy Artists of America, he helped shape a revival of traditional representational painting while mentoring a new generation of Western artists. His work is distinguished by an academic understanding of form combined with an authentic appreciation for the natural world.

The painting appears to be in very good condition with faint craquelure - the paint layer appears stable, and a chip loss at the lower right. The painting was viewed under blacklight and does not reveal any indication of inpainting. The frame appears to be in good condition with miter splits at the upper left and lower right.