Sanford Robinson Gifford (American, 1823–1880)
Kauterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains
INV-9729
Sanford Robinson Gifford (American, 1823–1880)1880
Kauterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains
Sanford Robinson Gifford (American, 1823–1880) →paintingamerican arts
Date
1880
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
33.7 × 27 cm (13 1/4 × 10 5/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
The Goodman and Wirt D. Walker funds
The Catskill Mountains were a favored subject of Sanford Robinson Gifford, an important landscape painter of the mid-nineteenth century who grew up nearby in Hudson, New York. In Kauterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, Gifford bathes the forested gorge in golden light. The scene’s thick, rich atmosphere transforms a topographical view into a romantic vista. A miniscule daub of blue paint on the rocks in the foreground suggests the presence of a figure and, in turn, signals the immensity of nature, visualized here as a place of spiritual transcendence. Gifford painted numerous versions of Kauterskill Clove throughout his career, with this small sketch completed during the last year of his life.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
