William Robinson Leigh Biography

William Robinson Leigh was one of the most well-known and gifted artists of the American west. He is noted for his depictions of the vast spaces of the western plains; the animals, mountains, canyons and cowboys of the region. Called the "Sagebrush Rembrandt," Leigh employed traditional European painting techniques learned during the twelve years he spent studying at the Royal Academy in Munich under Raupp, Gysis, van Lindenschmidt and von Loefftz. He always began with a charcoal drawing and painted over it. He would start with the most distant objects until he reached the foreground, creating intensity with his clear contrasting of light and strong colors.