Forest in the Morning Light
Asher Brown Durandc. 1855
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Washington, DC, United States
After establishing a successful career as an engraver and portraitist, Durand began specializing in landscapes during the late 1830s. He usually presented the gentler, bucolic aspects of nature rather than the awesome _Sturm und Drang_ that typified Cole's romantic style. His landscapes differ from Cole's, as well, in that they are drawn quite precisely, with a subtle treatment of light and texture that conveys a contemplative or poetic mood. His careful attention to specific details and his meticulous draftsmanship are evident in_ Forest in the Morning Light_, one in a series of "tree portraits" painted by Durand between the mid-1840s and the mid-1870s. In this rendition, one of the most striking pictures in the group, the central figure is the diagonally placed tree in the foreground. Its dark leaves nearly obscure the sky, allowing only patches of sunlight to illuminate the mossy trunks. In the distance, a mountain is visible through a break in the dense foliage.
Durand emphasized the importance of the close, almost scientific, observation of nature. He took numerous excursions in the woods so that he could paint directly from nature, and also published his theories in the influential art magazine, _The Crayon_.
More information on this painting can be found in the Gallery publication _American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I_, pages 138-142, which is available as a free PDF at https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/publications/pdfs/american-paintings-19th-century-part-1.pdf
- Title: Forest in the Morning Light
- Creator: Asher Brown Durand
- Date Created: c. 1855
- Physical Dimensions: overall: 61.5 x 46.2 cm (24 3/16 x 18 3/16 in.)
- Provenance: Possibly Jonathan Sturges [1802-1874], New York, and Fairfield, Connecticut;[1] his son, Frederick Sturges [d. 1917], New York, and Fairfield, Connecticut; his son, Frederick Sturges, Jr. [1876-1977], New York, and Fairfield, Connecticut;[2] bequest 1978 to NGA. [1] Jonathan Sturges owned a number of Durand's studies from nature (David B. Lawall, _Asher B. Durand: A Documentary Catalogue of the Narrative and Landscape Paintings_, New York, 1978, nos. 354, 384, and 411), but this painting is not listed in "Our Private Collections, No. II," _The Crayon_ 3, February 1856, 57 58, an article that discusses Sturges' paintings by Durand, nor is it mentioned in Thomas S. Cummings, _Historic Annals of the National Academy of Design (1825-1863)_, Philadelphia, 1865: 141 (reprint, New York, 1965), which records paintings by Durand in the Sturges collection, nor is it in the list of the Sturges collection in Henry T. Tuckerman, _Book of the Artists_, New York, 1867: 627 (reprint, New York, 1967); however, Frederick Sturges III was told by his father, Frederick Sturges, Jr., that all the Durands in the family collection came from Jonathan Sturges (letters dated 27 August and 7 December 1981 from Frederick Sturges III, in NGA curatorial files). The family tradition may be inaccurate, for two letters known from Frederick Sturges -- one of 16 June 1858 to Asher B. Durand (Asher B. Durand papers, New York Public Library) and the other of 22 June 1858 to John Durand (John Durand papers, New York Public Library) --indicate that he, too, purchased paintings directly from the artist. Nevertheless, in the absence of evidence indicating that Frederick Sturges acquired this painting, the possibility of ownership by Jonathan Sturges cannot be excluded. [2] Frederick Sturges, Jr., died 14 October 1977 (letter of 27 January 1982 from Frederick Sturges III in NGA curatorial files); this painting came to the National Gallery as a bequest in 1978 with four other paintings (see Durand, _A Pastoral Scene_ [1978.6.3]; Casilear, _View on Lake George_ [1978.6.1]; Edmonds, _The Bashful Cousin_ [1978.6.4]; and Kensett, _Beach at Beverly_ [1978.6.5]).
- Rights: CC0
- Medium: oil on canvas
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