George Inness painted peaceful views of the landscape in soft, glowing colors and often included people, animals, and buildings. Sentimental scenes like this of people enjoying nature were popular during the nineteenth century, as towns and industry gradually took over the landscape. In this image, Inness captured the moment just before sunset when everything is bathed in golden light. He painted the figures in the same rich tones as the landscape, underscoring his belief in the harmony between man, nature, and God.
“The civilized landscape … can [communicate human sentiment]; and therefore I love it more and think it more worthy of reproduction than that which is savage and untamed.” George Inness, “A Painter on Painting,” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, February 1878, reprinted in Quick, George Inness, 1985
- Title
-
Sundown
- Artist
- Date
- 1884
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 30 5⁄8 x 45 in. (77.8 x 114.2 cm)
- Credit Line
-
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of William T. Evans
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- oil on canvas
- Classifications
- Keywords
-
- Landscape – farm
- Landscape – time – sunset
- Object Number
-
1909.7.32
- Palette
- Linked Open Data
- Linked Open Data URI
