George Inness (American, 1825-1894)

George Inness (American, 1825-1894) , "Dawn", 1888, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, "The Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA", "The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA" exhibition labels and "Ollendorf Fine Arts" label on stretcher, 22 in. x 36 in., original frame with brass artist plaque. Provenance: Collection of James William Wellsworth (1849-1925), Chicago and New York, c, 1989; Sloan & Roman, Inc., New York, 1968; Meredith Long and Company, Houston, TX; Estate of James H. Stone , New Orleans, LA. Exh.: "George Inness Landscapes: His Signature Years, 1884-1894", The Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, CA, Nov. 28, 1978 - Jan. 28, 1979; "George Inness Landscapes: His Signature Years, 1884-1894", The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA, Feb. 10 - Apr. 15, 1979. Ill.: Quick, Michael. George Inness: A Catalogue Raisonné. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2007, pp. 228-29, no. 934. Note: As a landscape painter in the New York region during the mid-19th century, George Inness is commonly associated with the Hudson River School, although his paintings, particularly those completed in the late 1800’s, are more tonal and impressionistic in style. He often played with luminosity in his works and was known for his atmospheric, borderline spiritual canvases. Painted in 1888, the work offered here, “Dawn” demonstrates the somber, moody effect of applying glazes in a thick impasto, infusing the work with the subtle light of morning as the moon sets in the background. In the foreground, a lone figure walks towards the rising sun along a wooded path. The dark and hazy blues and greens of the landscape evoke a sense of isolation while the hint of a faraway village paired with the warm glow of fire offset the remoteness of the scene with signs of life. Dimensions: