Chapel In-The Fall-Wood

Rev. Maceptaw Bogun, Chapel In-The Fall-Wood, 1969, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.101
Copied Rev. Maceptaw Bogun, Chapel In-The Fall-Wood, 1969, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in. (61.0 x 76.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.101

Artwork Details

Title
Chapel In-The Fall-Wood
Artist
Date
1969
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
24 x 30 in. (61.0 x 76.2 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — mountain
  • Architecture — religious — church
  • Architecture — bridge
Object Number
1986.65.101
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.101

Artwork Description

Chapel In-The Fall-Wood is the first painting Reverend Maceptaw Bogun completed. In this scene, a multicolored path leads to a small chapel nearly overwhelmed by autumn foliage. This combination of nature and religion reflects Bogun's Spiritualist belief that nature is an expression of God. He emphasized certain areas of the canvas, like the end posts of the footbridge and the leafy trees in the hills, by building up layer upon layer of paint, thus creating a richer texture on the picture plane. Bogun included an additional surprise in the star above the chapel's steeple, which is barely visible to the naked eye, by using a paint that glows in the dark. He also added the names of family, friends, and historical figures he admired, including the artist Michelangelo and the Iroquois leader Hiawatha, on a large rock in the foreground.