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In this small oil study, a Native American figure is seated in the middle foreground and looks out at a mountainous landscape silhouetted against a sky brilliantly lit by the setting sun. His vivid red costume mirrors the hot colors of the clouds and their reflection in the lake. “Blasted trees,” a compositional device favored by the Hudson River School artists, frame the foreground on either side, and direct the viewer’s gaze into the painting. The sky, with its bright red clouds, extends over half of the canvas, is reiterated below, and dramatically contrasts the somber purples and greens of the treed shoreline.
The painting, which is unsigned and undated, was at one time attributed to Frederic Edwin Church, widely known for his renditions of spectacular sunsets painted along the Hudson River and in distant locales such as Ecuador. [2] More than likely, it is an early work by Kensett, done shortly after his return to New York after his lengthy stay abroad. At the time, he was emulating the Dutch landscapists and worked with a loaded brush, in dramatic contrast to his later luminist paintings, which are bathed in clear light and have little surface texture. Tuckerman recorded how “Upon his return to his native land, he commenced a series of careful studies of our mountain, lake, forest and coast landscape; and in his delineation of rocks, trees and water attained a wide and permanent celebrity.” [3] In this painting, the exact location of the lake and mountain are unknown, but could be one of several places in the Adirondacks, Catskills, or White Mountains, all of which were frequented by Kensett. The painting anticipates his strong interest in atmospheric light and its reflection, as well as his emphasis on moody and poetic evocations of nature.
Notes:
[1] Henry T. Tuckerman, Book of the Artists: American Artist Life (New York: G.P. Putnam & Son, 1867), 513.
[2] Considered by the donors, Dr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon III, and by Stuart Feld of Hirschl & Adler Gallery to be a work by Frederic Edwin Church, the painting was donated in 1980 to Reynolda House Museum of American Art. It was reattributed to John F. Kensett by September 1980.
[3] Tuckerman, Book of the Artists , 511.
ProvenanceDr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon, III, North Wilkesboro, NC [1]
From 1980
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, given by Dr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon, III on September 3, 1980. [2]
Notes:
[1] Deed of Gift, object file.
[2] See note 1.
Exhibition History
DepartmentAmerican Art
Landscape
Artist
John F Kensett
(1816 - 1872)
Formerly Attibuted to
Frederic Edwin Church
(1826 - 1900)
DateMid-nineteenth century
Mediumoil on canvas
DimensionsFrame: 11 x 14 in. (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Canvas: 7 x 10 1/2 in. (17.8 x 26.7 cm)
Signed<unsigned>
Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon, III
Copyrightpublic domain
Object number1980.2.1
DescriptionIt was common practice for the painters of the Hudson River School to take small panels or canvases along on sketching trips into the mountains. They were easy to manage, and became source material for larger canvases that were developed later in urban studios. This method allowed artists to visualize their palette and composition without muddying their final work of art. The practice was closely followed by John F. Kensett on his extensive travels, and biographer and critic Henry T. Tuckerman in The Book of the Artists describes Kensett’s studio as littered with such sketches. [1]In this small oil study, a Native American figure is seated in the middle foreground and looks out at a mountainous landscape silhouetted against a sky brilliantly lit by the setting sun. His vivid red costume mirrors the hot colors of the clouds and their reflection in the lake. “Blasted trees,” a compositional device favored by the Hudson River School artists, frame the foreground on either side, and direct the viewer’s gaze into the painting. The sky, with its bright red clouds, extends over half of the canvas, is reiterated below, and dramatically contrasts the somber purples and greens of the treed shoreline.
The painting, which is unsigned and undated, was at one time attributed to Frederic Edwin Church, widely known for his renditions of spectacular sunsets painted along the Hudson River and in distant locales such as Ecuador. [2] More than likely, it is an early work by Kensett, done shortly after his return to New York after his lengthy stay abroad. At the time, he was emulating the Dutch landscapists and worked with a loaded brush, in dramatic contrast to his later luminist paintings, which are bathed in clear light and have little surface texture. Tuckerman recorded how “Upon his return to his native land, he commenced a series of careful studies of our mountain, lake, forest and coast landscape; and in his delineation of rocks, trees and water attained a wide and permanent celebrity.” [3] In this painting, the exact location of the lake and mountain are unknown, but could be one of several places in the Adirondacks, Catskills, or White Mountains, all of which were frequented by Kensett. The painting anticipates his strong interest in atmospheric light and its reflection, as well as his emphasis on moody and poetic evocations of nature.
Notes:
[1] Henry T. Tuckerman, Book of the Artists: American Artist Life (New York: G.P. Putnam & Son, 1867), 513.
[2] Considered by the donors, Dr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon III, and by Stuart Feld of Hirschl & Adler Gallery to be a work by Frederic Edwin Church, the painting was donated in 1980 to Reynolda House Museum of American Art. It was reattributed to John F. Kensett by September 1980.
[3] Tuckerman, Book of the Artists , 511.
ProvenanceDr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon, III, North Wilkesboro, NC [1]
From 1980
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, given by Dr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon, III on September 3, 1980. [2]
Notes:
[1] Deed of Gift, object file.
[2] See note 1.
Exhibition History
Status
Not on view