Questroyal 2009

Harmony in Nature John Frederick Kensett, most famous for his images of upstate New York and New England, masterfully conveyed the quality of light, atmospheric effects, and varied textures of the natural world. His views of Lake George are considered among his finest works and are often characterized by their relatively spare yet arresting compositions. The calm lake and expanse of sky dominate the scenes, suggesting a particular season and time of day. Kensett argued that the landscape painter must strive for harmony, both in compositional arrangement and color. He believed that this could be achieved by avoiding excessive imagination and flairs of artistic embellish- ment, which only removed the subject fromnature. His devotion to truth and observation is evident in his paintings of famous lakes, rivers, andmountains, as in his more anonymous subjects. Forest Landscape is a similarly harmo- nious arrangement, imparting a sense of spontaneity through modulation of color while also retaining Kensett’s trademark virtuoso draftsmanship. The graceful lines of the trees and their individual branches, rather than being obscured by the flurry of brushwork and impasto, emerge from the scene, bringing a welcome balance and visual complexity. — imh Kensett’s works may be seen in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York Historical Society, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, and Dallas Museum of Art. 1 Samuel G. W. Benjamin, “Fifty Years of American Art,” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine 59 (July 1879 ): 254 – 256 . 2 “Art, John Frederick Kensett,” The Aldine, the Art Journal of America 5 (February 1873 ): 48 . Quoted in Franklin Kelly, American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, part 1 Oxford: Oxford University Press), p. 388 . 3 The Crayon , 5 , no. 5 (May 1858 ): 146 . Quoted in John Frederick Kensett: An American Master , exh. cat. (NewYork and London: Worcester Art Museum andW. W. Norton and Co., 1985 ), p. 122 . 4 John Frederick Kensett 1816 – 1872 : Centennial Exhibition , exh. cat. (Darien, Conn.: The Darien Historical Society, 1972 ), cat. 6 . 5 John Frederick Kensett, quoted in John Howat, “The Hudson River School,” The Metro- politan Museum of Art Bulletin , New Series, vol. 30 , no. 6 (June–July, 1972 ): 277 . [B]right colors are sparingly distributed throughout the natural world. The white, red, blue and yellow blossoms of plants, shrubs, and trees are not prominent even in their season of bloom; while the main masses are made of cool greens, grays, drabs and browns intermingled, and are always harmonious and agreeable. john frederick kensett, 1860 5