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Twilight in the Wilderness

1860
(American, 1826–1900)
America
oil on canvas
Framed: 124 x 185 x 13 cm (48 13/16 x 72 13/16 x 5 1/8 in.); Unframed: 101.6 x 162.6 cm (40 x 64 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1965.233
Location: 206 American Landscape
Public Domain
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Did You Know?

An image of this painting has a cameo in the Harrison Ford film Clear and Present Danger.

Description

In his New York studio, Church painted this spectacular view of a blazing sunset over wilderness near Mount Katahdin in Maine, which he had sketched during a visit nearly two years earlier. Although Church often extolled the grandeur of American landscape in his work, this painting appears to have additional overtones. Created on the eve of the Civil War, the painting's subject can be interpreted as symbolically evoking the coming conflagration. Church's considerable technical skills and clever showmanship contributed to his fame as the premier artist of his generation. Rather than debut this painting in an annual exhibition with works by other artists as was the custom, Church instead exhibited it by itself at a prestigious art gallery. Coaxed by advance publicity and highly favorable press reviews, several hundred spectators flocked to admire it during its seven-week run.
Twilight in the Wilderness

Twilight in the Wilderness

1860

Frederic Edwin Church

(American, 1826–1900)
America

See Also

Videos

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The Dramatic Sunset

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    Thomas Cole’s (American, 1801–1848) depictions of the of New York’s Catskill wilderness launched the nation’s first native art movement. The Hudson River Valley school arose during a period of exploration, expansion, and a growing desire to preserve areas of unspoiled beauty. Artists such as Cole paid homage to the play of light on sky, water, and land as they infused their work with the sense of humankind's smallness in the face of natural grandeur. After Cole’s death, a second generation of Hudson River Valley school artists, including Frederic Edwin Church, Jasper Francis Cropsey, and Martin Johnson Heade, carried on this American tradition. Contains five each of the following images: Martin Johnson Heade, Rhode Island Shore, 1858 Frederic Edwin Church, Tamaca Palms, 1854 Jasper Francis Cropsey, Autumn—On the Hudson River, 1860 Thomas Cole, View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow, 1836 • 20 blank notecards (5 each of 4 designs) with envelopes in a decorative box• Printed in full color on recycled paper with soy-based inks• High-quality 250 gsm card stock• Soft white envelopes• Pomegranate’s notecard sets feature exclusive selections of art from museums and artists around the worldBox size: 5.375 x 7.375 x 1.5 in.Card size: 5 x 7 in.
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