Landscape with Farm and Mountains

Charles Codman, Landscape with Farm and Mountains, 1832, oil on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1973.157
Copied Charles Codman, Landscape with Farm and Mountains, 1832, oil on wood, 2126 in. (53.366.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1973.157
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Artwork Details

Title
Landscape with Farm and Mountains
Date
1832
Dimensions
2126 in. (53.366.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on wood
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group
  • Landscape — mountain
  • Landscape — farm
Object Number
1973.157

Artwork Description

Charles Codman was one of the first professional artists to paint the landscape of Maine, although he often combined elements from his imagination with on-the-spot sketches. The country’s natural landscape fascinated Americans of the 1830s, who wanted to enjoy its untamed quality even as their settlements encroached on the wilderness. Codman emphasized this contradiction by showing a hay cart, figures, and a small shack against a dramatic view of the mountains. This intimate, domestic scene of people going about their everyday lives contrasts with the vast expanse of uninhabited wilderness behind them.