Russell Chatham (1939 -  )
During his childhood in San Francisco, Russell Chatham was surrounded by the paintings of his grandfather Gottardo Piazzoni, a dominant figure in the art scene of the early 20th century, Chatham's art instruction came from relatives who had been trained by the older painter, thus, instead of following the 1960's trend of trying to do something "new", Chatham found his voice by studying his grandfather's work. A landscape painter for more than forty years, Chatham uses the illusion of space as a compositional tool; the vistas in his distinctive landscapes dissolve into twilight mists, or are flattened by midday sun. Right: From the Missouri River Series