Untitled (sunset with quarter moon and farmhouse)

Edward Mitchell Bannister, Untitled (sunset with quarter moon and farmhouse), 1883, oil on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Alan and Melvin Frank, 1983.95.75
Copied Edward Mitchell Bannister, Untitled (sunset with quarter moon and farmhouse), 1883, oil on wood, 10 x 15 in. (25.4 x 38.1 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Alan and Melvin Frank, 1983.95.75
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled (sunset with quarter moon and farmhouse)
Artist
Date
1883
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
10 x 15 in. (25.4 x 38.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of H. Alan and Melvin Frank
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on wood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — farmhouse
  • Landscape — road — path
  • Landscape — time — sunset
  • Landscape — celestial — moon
Object Number
1983.95.75
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.95.75

Artwork Description

Edward Bannister's intimate views of the American landscape contrasted with the large vistas of mountains and canyons painted by many of his contemporaries. In this study of a sunset, the glowing tones of orange and yellow immediately draw us into the center of the image, as if we are standing among the dark, skeletal trees. The warm light softly highlights a pathway through the trees, and to the right we can see the faint outline of a building. Bannister's thick paint, expressive brushstrokes, and vibrant contrasts of light and dark convey a dramatic scene, even on the small scale of a sketch. We feel, in looking at this study, that we were with Bannister as he stopped to capture a poetic moment on his evening walk.