Untitled (cattle near river with sailboat in distance)

Edward Mitchell Bannister, Untitled (cattle near river with sailboat in distance), n.d., oil on canvas, 14 ¹⁄₈ x 20 ¹⁄₈ in. (36.0 x 51.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Alan and Melvin Frank, 1983.95.98

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Artwork Details

Title: Untitled (cattle near river with sailboat in distance)
Artist: Edward Mitchell Bannister
Date: n.d.
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 14 ¹⁄₈ x 20 ¹⁄₈ in. (36.0 x 51.0 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of H. Alan and Melvin Frank
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Highlights: African American Art
Subjects: Landscape — farm
Landscape — water
Animal — goat
Animal — cattle
Object Number: 1983.95.98
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.95.98

Artwork Description

Edward Mitchell Bannister was greatly influenced by the French Barbizon school, whose serene depiction of nature and idealized pastoral subjects appealed to his belief in the underlying harmony of all creation. Bannister preferred painting the play of light and the effects of weather on the natural world, often using muted colors and soft depictions of light and shadow. In this untitled work, the dark cluster of trees contrasts with the light-colored clouds, the cows with the bright flock of sheep and river. But within Bannister’s balanced, harmonious composition the lively brushstrokes of the leaves suggest a restless breeze that animates the overcast scene.