Clearing Off

Image Not Available
John Frederick Kensett, Clearing Off, ca. 1865, oil on canvas, 25 5⁄8 × 35 3⁄8 × 3 1⁄4 in. (65.1 × 89.9 × 8.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Robert and Margaret Hazen, 2024.22
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Clearing Off
Artist
Date
ca. 1865
Location
Dimensions
25 5⁄8 × 35 3⁄8 × 3 1⁄4 in. (65.1 × 89.9 × 8.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Robert and Margaret Hazen
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — coast
  • Landscape — weather — cloud
  • Landscape — rocks
Object Number
2024.22
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2024.22

Artwork Description

A storm blows through this Civil War--era coastal landscape, turning the water a dark steely gray. John Frederick Kensett's dramatic vantage point places the viewer low in the scrub amid the boulders. A striking drift of red wildflowers in the front center catches the light and glistens like fresh blood, a subtle reference to the ongoing political conflict. 

Works by this artist (4 items)

Yvonne Jacquette, Study for Autumn Expansion, pastel on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1981.185.3
Study for Autumn Expansion
Artist
pastel on paper
Not on view
Image Not Available
Brooklyn Bridge Reflected, Night
Artist
Date1983
six-color lithograph
Not on view
Yvonne Jacquette, Vinalhaven Shelves and Ledges D, 1991, monotype on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1993.42, ©, 1993, Patricia Nick, Vinalhaven Press
Vinalhaven Shelves and Ledges D
Artist
Date1991
monotype on paper
Not on view
Yvonne Jacquette, Telephone Pole #6, 1971, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak, 1982.114.6
Telephone Pole #6
Artist
Date1971
oil on canvas
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
William H. Johnson, Portrait of a Woman in Profile, ca. 1944, recto: pen and ink and pencil on paper verso: pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.485R-V
Portrait of a Woman in Profile
Artist
Dateca. 1944
recto: pen and ink and pencil on paper verso: pen and ink on paper
Not on view
Joseph Cornell, "D" in Descartes, 1971, collage with ink, pencil and stamps on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, 1991.155.362
“D” in Descartes
Artist
Date1971
collage with ink, pencil and stamps on paperboard
Not on view
Jose Luis Cuevas, "Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful."--Friedrich Nietzsche, 1885. From the series Great Ideas of Western Man., 1963, ink, colored ink, conte crayon and colored pencil on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.73
“Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful.”-…
Artist
Date1963
ink, colored ink, conte crayon and colored pencil on paper mounted on paperboard
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Mountains and Valley, Norway, ca. 1935-1938, recto: pen and ink and pencil on paper verso: pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.103R-V
Mountains and Valley, Norway
Artist
Dateca. 1935-1938
recto: pen and ink and pencil on paper verso: pen and ink on paper
Not on view