Ejnar Hansen: Yerington, Nevada (mural study)

Ejnar Hansen: Yerington, Nevada (study), oil on board. Matte size, 44 x 26, image 37 x 16. Cowboy scene.

Ejnar Hansen painted a very fine mural for the Lovelock, Nevada Post Office in 1940 which still exists: "The Uncovering of the Comstock Lode". This study probably was probably submitted for the Yerington WPA commission, which in the end was assigned to Adolph Gottlieb, who produced an excellent "Homestead On the Plain" for it. Hansen's subject is a little more dynamic: someone in the distance is riding hell for leather for this little settlement or outpost with big news. The cloud of dust his horse is kicking up has got everyone's attention. You can feel the curiosity and growing excitement. A fascinating insight into the workings of the WPA, as they put artists to work all over the country during the Great Depression, incidentally boosting American Regionalism.