Few regions of the country produced such a distinctive group of artists with such a particular view on the modern world as did the Pacific Northwest in the 1930s and 1940s. Capitalizing on their particular geographical position at what was a modern art outpost ? working free from the strong influences of New York and Europe, and sitting at the portal to the Far East ? a close-knit group of artists sought to address the global political, social, and economic ills of their time.

The seminal figures in this group ? Mark Tobey and Morris Graves especially ? quickly garnered critical...