American 1859-1935 

A prominent early 20th-century Northern California landscape painter, Arthur Best was especially known for his paintings of the Grand Canyon, Arizona desert, and Sierra Nevada mountains. After opening an art school in San Francisco, Best became a staff artist for the San Francisco Examiner, and in 1904 did a series of Grand Canyon paintings. In 1905, he was commissioned by the Southern Pacific Railroad to paint pictures of the Southwest and Mexico. Best blended traditional, representational styles with bold, unorthodox coloration.