In the Woods  1855

by Asher Brown Durand

This monumental painting departs from the pastoral treatment of Durand’s earlier works to celebrate the shadowy solitude of the deep woods. Living and dead trees rise from the fertile decay of the forest floor. In the summer of 1854, Durand had made plein-air studies in the Catskill Mountains in preparation for this work, and while it was on view at the National Academy of...
Credit: 
Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art