Trees on a Rocky Hillside

Description

Durand was one of the first American artists to paint outdoors, rather than in the confines of a studio, which was the longstanding tradition. This outdoor oil sketch of a seemingly random corner of the woods offers an intimate view of a rock outcropping amid lush vegetation. Its small-scale, unusually cropped composition contrasts with the sweeping vistas in many other landscapes of the era.

Provenance

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1968-); (Kennedy Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (Until 1968); [Private collection, Philadelphia, probably consigned to Kennedy Galleries?] (c. 1966-1968); (Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, NY, Nov. 17, 1966, lot 48) (1966); Private collection (-1966)

Trees on a Rocky Hillside

Asher Brown Durand

c. 1849

Accession Number

1968.21

Medium

oil on canvas

Dimensions

Framed: 64.8 x 83.2 x 7.9 cm (25 1/2 x 32 3/4 x 3 1/8 in.); Unframed: 42.5 x 61.3 cm (16 3/4 x 24 1/8 in.); Former: 53.5 x 72 x 6.5 cm (21 1/16 x 28 3/8 x 2 9/16 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund