AN ARTIST FOR ALL SEASONS
American master George Inness (1825-1894) is one of the country’s great landscape artists, taking us on a journey through the changing cycle of the seasons. Starting with a summer scene and the aftermath of a passing thunder shower, when a rainbow suddenly transforms the countryside.
George Inness, After a Summer Shower, 1894, oil on canvas, Edward B. Butler Collection, Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois
Or next the mellow atmosphere of an autumn afternoon, inviting us to pause and observe the poetry of the multi-colored trees.
George Inness, Sunny Autumn Day, 1892, oil on canvas, Anonymous Gift, Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio
Followed by the dramatic beauty of a winter sky, at the moment when the red ball of the dying sun descends for another day.
George Inness, A Winter Sky, 1866, oil on canvas, the Charles W. Harkness Gift, Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio
While spring returns, awakening nature again, in a dream-like revelation of white and pink blossoms.
George Inness, Spring Blossoms, Montclair, New Jersey, ca. 1891, oil and crayon on charcoal on canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
FAST FACTS: GEORGE INNESS
Born: 1825, Newburgh, New York; Died: 1894, Bridge-of-Allan, Scotland
Inness ws an independent artist. Basically he did not belong to any school or movement. He was born along the Hudson River and received his early art training In New Jersey and New York. He painted landscapes mainly in the Northeast (New England and the Mid-Atlantic states) and during his tours of Europe. He married in his twenties and eventually after living in several homes, he settled in Montclair, New Jersey for the rest of his life. He died suddenly on a trip to Scotland.
CCO Public Domain Designation (First painting)
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In the public domain, courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio. You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. (Paintings 2 and 3)
The Cleveland Museum of Art does not endorse or approve use of the above image or any of the material on this website. Nor has the Cleveland Museum of Art participated in any projects utilizing the said image.
In the public domain. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify, and distribute this image even for commercial purposes. (Painting 4)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art does not endorse or approve use of the above image or any of the material on this website. Nor has the Metropolitan Museum of Art participated in any projects utilizing the said image.
